The Dusty Past
by Ilovedesserts
Summary: A/U-Sharon comes face to face with her past, one she has tried to put behind her.
1. Chapter 1

The air was thick, and she was silently hating the fact she'd ever let her son play baseball. Why did he have to pick a sport played outside? Granted, she couldn't deny she, too, loved baseball, but days like this made her hate the sport. People just shouldn't be made to sit and roast in the hot sun, especially on an overly humid, sunny Southern California day. It wasn't right.

She sat up straighter when she saw Ricky step up to the plate. Oh, he'd gotten so tall lately, she almost didn't recognize him. Her baby was growing up before her eyes. First pitch, and she took a deep breath. Ball to the outside. She let her breath out and watched again. "Come on, Ricky," she called to him, hoping he might hear her. She knew her son, though, and when he was up to bat, he was focused and tuned out everything else.

The second pitch sailed by him, and she knew it was a strike before she heard it called. That was okay; Ricky was old enough now he had a certain pitch he liked. She watched him again as he stepped out of the box and took a couple swings. He looked so much like her brother. She started to chuckle, thinking that if she hadn't been present, she wouldn't have known by looking at Ricky that Jack had contributed anything to him. He looked nothing like Jack, and it only seemed even more comical that Jack hadn't contributed much to Ricky since he'd been born either. Her mind began to wander. Emily was a little more like Jack, but she looked more like Sharon. Clapping pulled her back to her son, and she smiled when she saw him step back in, ready for the next pitch.

He swung, and she heard the bat and ball collide. She stood, and she started to clap when she saw Ricky was going to pull a single out of his time at bat. He'd gotten on base, but she wasn't sure if his team could still pull out the win. They were down by two; it was the bottom of the ninth inning, and they already had an out. The next batter took his position. Kevin, if Sharon remembered correctly. She knew some of the guys on Ricky's team, but not all. She had scolded herself for not knowing all of them. It was his school team, and she should know the guys. Kevin took a swing at the first pitch, and he made contact as well. The ball dropped right behind first base. Ricky had a good lead off, and he was fast, so the play was made at first, and Kevin was tagged out. Ricky still made it to second. She chuckled as she looked to him. He'd slid in knowing the play could have easily gone to second since he was the lead runner. He was now covered in dirt, and Sharon just sighed knowing she would have laundry to do.

The next batter, Sharon couldn't remember his name, came up. She heard a couple of people cheer for Jason, so she made a mental note to herself to remember that name. He took three pitches, two balls and a strike, before he made contact. This time, he hit it right to the shortstop. Ricky was tagged out, and the game ended. Sharon let out a disappointed sigh, as she saw her son's team lose the game.

She knew it would take the guys a few minutes to pack up their things. She stood in the grass near the dugout while she waited. Sharon looked around at the other parents, other families. Many were there with spouses and other children. She was alone. Emily was in college, and Jack, well, she had her suspicions regarding Jack. She was pretty sure he was in Vegas, most likely tangled up with some sort of "Lady of the Night" if she were to really speculate. She'd been legally separated from him now for over 15 years, since Ricky was just a toddler, and while she knew she should completely cut her ties with him, she just couldn't. Yes, she had her reasons, many of them. Her family believed it was completely due to her beliefs. They weren't all wrong, but she had other reasons, reasons she couldn't even explain to them. Deep down, she wasn't sure if she'd come to terms with all the reasons herself.

"Hi, Mom," she heard as she was daydreaming. She looked up to find her 16-year-old son walking toward her. He was still covered in dirt. The field had been dusty; it was LA, and it hadn't rained in quite some time.

"Sorry you lost," she gave him a small smile. He nodded and shrugged.

"Thanks. Tough loss. I thought we were going to pull out a win there right at the end."

"I was hopeful too," she smiled. "You had two nice hits today." Ricky nodded his thanks as he glanced around to his team. They were all filing out of the dugout and finding their own families. The other team was doing the same thing, as players in red jerseys started to walk by. Ricky had on a gray jersey today. His school played a lot of other local LA schools. He loved playing baseball and had since Sharon's brother had gotten him his first baseball mitt when he was five.

"Thanks for coming to my game. I know you probably were busy at work," he told her as he continued putting his bag back together. Ricky had a habit of throwing all his gear into his bag in a jumbled mess and then wanting to stop and repack before leaving the field. He was doing that now. Sharon had once asked him why he didn't just pack it correctly before leaving the dugout, and he'd just shrugged with no real answer. She speculated it was a nervous habit, in that, Ricky just wanted to get out of the dugout, away from the game and the loss, and once he did that, he could refocus and settle himself down. She understood that, not that she'd ever suggest to Ricky that he was doing anything like that. By now, she knew his habit, so she stood and watched as he started to repack his bag.

"I'm very glad I could see your game. You are more important than work, always," she told him. He looked up, and she smiled at him. He nodded and smiled back. "Besides, it does me good to get outside, even if it's this hot and humid. I should have planned my wardrobe better," she chuckled, glancing down to her gray blouse, black pencil skirt, and black heels. She had her black suit jacket in her hand. It was clear she had come from work, but anyone looking at her might have wondered if she had ever been to a baseball game. She certainly wasn't dressed for it, but she just hadn't thought about the intense heat when she planned her day. Yes, she looked out of place for high school baseball, but all that didn't matter; she'd made it to her son's game. That was all that mattered.

"Sorry, I'm almost done here," Ricky said as he continued to pack up his bag. "I know it's hot."

Sharon just nodded and looked around the field. She had put her sunglasses back on to block out some of the intense sun.

"Sharon, is that you?" she heard. Sharon froze, knowing that voice, and she spun around. She almost ran into him as she caught her breath.

"Andy?" she asked. She pulled her glasses up on her head, hoping that a bit of clarity might help. The joke really was on Sharon, though, because her sunglasses were prescription ones, and while they annoyed her at times, she did need them to see things. She looked at the man in front of her, two men actually. She hadn't seen him in a very long time. She glanced down to Ricky. He'd stopped packing his bag and was still on his knee, but he was now looking up to the person who had called his mom by her first name.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "You live in LA?"

She nodded, and she could tell Ricky had stood now and was next to her. "Yes," she said as she gained her composure. "I've lived in LA for over 20 years now. What are you doing here?"

"Ahh, I moved here recently," he nodded. "This is my son, Nate," he gestured to the young man.

"Nate, nice to meet you," Sharon nodded to him. She turned toward Ricky, "This is my son, Ricky." The two boys nodded to each other; they had been on opposing teams, so it was probably the best they would do.

Andy looked to Ricky and nodded to him, "Were you the one who just slid into second?" Andy chuckled. "You kicked up quite the dust cloud," he smiled as he gestured to Ricky's uniform. "I can see you are taking some of the field home with you."

"Yeah, just part of playing baseball," he nodded. He looked to his mom, but she wasn't offering any more of a greeting or explanation.

"I'm surprised to hear you moved here," Sharon told Andy.

He nodded, "I did it for my kids."

Sharon returned the nod, not sure she completely understood what he was saying, but she wasn't sure what more to say. "Ahh, well, we should go," she gestured to Ricky. "Nice to see you," she nodded to him.

He nodded once, "Same. I'm guessing you are doing well?" he gestured to her attire. "I mean, at work?"

"I am. We should go. Nice to meet you, Nate," she nodded. She turned to Ricky and noted he was curious about the encounter. "Ricky, are you all packed up now?" He nodded and grabbed his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and turned back to Sharon. "Take care, Andy," she nodded and again offered a quick nod as she gestured for Ricky to head toward the car.

"Mom, who was that guy?" Ricky asked once they had moved away from Andy and his son. She turned slightly, hoping he hadn't followed her. He had gotten stopped by another parent from his son's team and was busy talking. She turned back to Ricky to answer him, "Someone from college, before I met your dad."

"Wow, really?" Ricky asked. "And, you haven't seen him since?"

"No, I didn't expect to ever see him again," she sighed. "It was a long time ago. Anyway, let's go. I know you are hungry."

"You didn't want to catch up with him?" Ricky asked.

"No," Sharon offered a small smile. "I want to leave the past in the past."


	2. Chapter 2

Sharon was surprised Ricky held off any further questions until later in the evening. Relieved, but surprised. Seeing Andy after all those years had certainly thrown her for a loop. She honestly never expected to see him again, and she certainly didn't think she'd ever run into him in LA at her son's baseball game. As she and Ricky drove home, she was glad he was focused on the game and not on her run-in with Andy. She and Ricky stopped for pizza, his choice, and they chatted about school and work. It was almost as if he knew she needed space and time to process things. Once the two arrived at home, Ricky went to his room to shower and start his homework. Sharon went to her room to shower and find something more comfortable to wear. She had brought work home with her and figured she would be signing reports for at least an hour or two during the evening. After her shower, she let her hair air dry while she started to dig through her closet. She'd had more time during her shower to think, and before she started in on her work for the evening, she had decided to take a trip down memory lane.

It didn't take Sharon long to find what she was looking for in her closet. Her mom had sent it to her a few years ago when her parents had downsized their home and cleaned out the last of the kids' rooms. It was a simple memory box, and she remembered very well what memories were inside it. She sat down on her bed and very quickly got lost in the moment, scanning through the box of pictures.

"Who was that guy tonight at the game, the guy you said you knew in college?" Ricky asked, startling Sharon. She looked up from her bed and dropped the picture she had in her hand. Her hair was still damp, and she'd removed all her makeup. She also had put on legging and a long sweater. As she glanced to her son, she noticed he'd taken a similar casual approach to the evening. He had on an old t-shirt and gym shorts, his standard evening look.

Sharon cleared her throat, knowing deep in her mind, that this conversation had to happen sometime, "His name is Andy Flynn," she stated, wishing, but knowing Ricky wouldn't leave it at that.

Ricky moved further into Sharon's room and leaned against her dresser to get more of an answer. Sharon knew that move well, and Ricky wasn't budging until he heard more.

"You went to college with him?" Ricky asked.

"It's complicated, Ricky," Sharon sighed. "I suppose I should have had this conversation with you and Emily before now. I just really didn't want to get into the mistakes of my past. Yes, I knew him in college. I was married to him; he's my ex-husband."

Ricky's eyes grew wide as he tried to process the information, "Wait, what? I figured he was some boyfriend maybe, but you were married before Dad? How did we not know this? Did Dad know?" he started to ramble, obviously shocked by the information.

Sharon just nodded quietly, "I'll do my best to answer some of your questions, but I'm not going to go through every detail. Yes, of course, your dad knew," she offered a small smile to Ricky. "He definitely knew. Your grandparents did, too, obviously, but we've all tried to not dredge up the past for many reasons. I made a lot of stupid mistakes in my past. Getting married so young was one of them."

"I can't believe after all these years, I'm just hearing this now. How did it never come up?" Ricky asked. "Does Emily know?"

"No," she shook her head and continued, "Emily does not know. I need to tell her now, I suppose. Honestly, Ricky, I never imagined I would run into Andy again, especially not out here. He's from the East Coast. I guess I thought with 3,000 miles separating us, I wouldn't see him."

"When did this all happen? You married Dad right after college," Ricky pointed out as he started to think about the timeline. "I'm totally floored," he told her.

"I'm sure you are," Sharon said as she folded her hands and shifted on the bed. "I met Andy when I was 17. He was 20. I was visiting college campuses, and he was doing some work-study program where he basically gave tours to prospective students in the criminal justice department. I had planned to become a lawyer, and as you know, I majored in criminal justice. I met him, and we hit it off," she shrugged. "We started talking on the phone, because of course, back then, we didn't text or have social media," she smiled to her son. "It's a very long and complicated story. I don't want to deal with it now. He and I decided to get married not long after that, when I was 18. I've warned you to think about the girls you date, to take your time, as you get older. This is why. I realize I do need to sit down and explain everything to you at some point, but please, I beg you, not tonight," she sighed as she shook her head.

Ricky stood there, dumbfounded, as he tried to process everything. He gestured with his hands, "So you were married in college? How did I not know this? Mom, that's like huge information," he told her.

"I realize that," Sharon nodded to him. "As I said, I will explain it. I just don't want to do that now."

Ricky glanced to her box on the bed and gestured again, "So, what's that?" he asked, noting she had some pictures on her bed.

She glanced down to it, even though, she knew what it was, "Memories, old ones," she specified. "I'd left all this behind at your grandparents' house when your dad and I got married and moved out here. I really thought she would have thrown all this away, but if you recall, they downsized their house over five years ago, and she sent me this box then. Honestly, at the time," Sharon took a deep breath, "I almost threw it out. I didn't even go through it then. I simply put it in the back of my closet, and this is the first I've opened it in over 20 years."

"Wow, really?" Ricky asked as he took two steps forward to stand next to Sharon's bed. His curiosity had him glancing over the pictures. He could see there were a lot of them, along with other random memorabilia. He gestured to one, as if asking permission, and Sharon nodded. He picked up the photo to study it. "You were so young," he grinned. "I can't believe you had long hair like this. Emily looks a little like you."

"Hmmm," Sharon nodded, "she does. I was thinking that today, that you look like your Uncle Pete. I still think Emily looks more like Jack, but people always say they think she looks like me. You don't look much like Jack, but you do have a few of his mannerisms," she smiled. "Every now and then, I see Jack in you."

"I don't want to be like Dad," he grumbled as he handed the photo back to Sharon. "He's been a totally crappy dad."

"I won't disagree," Sharon nodded. "Again, let me caution you that I made many mistakes in my youth, but if I hadn't met your dad, I wouldn't have you or Emily. Now that," she paused and smiled brightly to Ricky, "is worth everything else alone. I wouldn't trade either of you for anything."

Ricky nodded; Sharon could tell he was still trying to process everything. It couldn't be easy to realize your mom had kept such a secret all these years. She knew he idolized her, and while she wasn't proud she'd been married before, it was a fact she couldn't deny.

"You didn't like have any kids with him, did you? There's no secret family, right?" he asked, drawing her from her thoughts.

"What?" No," she shook her head as she offered a small smile. "You could probably define things as a teenage romance where I believed I knew more than my parents," she sighed. "There's no hidden family, Ricky," she chuckled. "You sound like you've watched too many sappy movies with Emily."

Ricky scrunched up his face, "Believe me when I say that I probably have. I miss having her around, but I don't miss her sob fests on the weekends when she would sit and watch movie after movie with her box of tissues next to her."

Sharon smiled at the memory of Emily, and she looked to Ricky, "I can't ask you to keep this from your sister, but I do hope you both understand that I don't want to discuss this now. I'll discuss it with you both at some point, maybe even when she's home from school, but not now."

"Fine," Ricky sighed in defeat, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get more information from his mom. He took another glance at the pictures she had on her bed, "Are you going to stay in here and go through that?" he gestured.

Sharon looked down, collected what was on the bed, put it away, and closed the box. She stood and walked to her closet again, "No, I'm not going to get into that now. I want the past to stay the past. I'm finally learning from it," she sighed as she followed Ricky to the living room where she planned to focus on work all evening.


	3. Chapter 3

After Sharon's run-in with Andy, she spent the next two weeks worried she would run into him again. As the weeks passed, her fears subsided, and she started to relax again. She wasn't sure what she would have said to Andy had she run into him again. Sharon did have to admit she was a bit curious about his life, his family too. It was strange that in over 20 years she hadn't heard from him nor had she crossed paths with him, but she knew it was for the best. He had mentioned he'd moved to LA recently, for his kids, he'd said. That had slightly intrigued her, not that she was going to ask about it ever. She was hoping she didn't have to run in to him anytime soon.

She did know that soon, she would have to address her own kids. Emily had called her the day after she'd run into Andy, not that Sharon was surprised by that. In fact, she was slightly impressed she hadn't heard from her late the night before, but she figured her two children had spent some time on the phone themselves that evening. Her conversation with Emily had been short, as Sharon had been arriving to work, but she'd promised her daughter that when she came home from college in a month, she would explain everything. That had bought her a little time, and for that, she was grateful.

Sharon was also grateful that she'd checked Ricky's high school baseball schedule, and his team wasn't playing Andy's son's team again. So, it took her by surprise when two weeks later, after she'd started to relax, she recognized a familiar voice.

"This seat taken?" he asked, and Sharon looked up, quite surprised to see Andy at one of Ricky's baseball games. She looked to the field again to make sure she'd checked the schedule correctly. Sharon didn't remember the team name of Andy's son, but she remembered they had been red and white. The team they were playing today was green and yellow, definitely not the same team.

"Ahh, not presently," she said, trying to be a bit cryptic as she eyed him. He gestured to it, and she sighed and moved her purse. She had come from work again and did stand out in her heels and navy-blue skirt suit. Andy nodded as he took a seat on the metal bleachers. Sharon tried not to stare, but she noticed how he folded his long legs to get comfortable. She had kicked off one of her heels as she sat with one leg crossed over the other.

"Hi," he sighed. "Look, I promise I'm not trying to stalk you or anything," he started off by saying. "I was just caught off guard when we ran into each other, what a few weeks ago? It's been a long time. I thought we could just catch up. I wanted to make sure you were happy."

Sharon continued to watch the game. She didn't turn toward Andy, as she wanted to maintain focus on the game. Ricky had been at bat the last inning, and his team was at bat again, so truly, she didn't have an excuse for her dedicated observation of the game, other than she didn't really want to look at Andy right now. "Hmm, I'd like to know your definition of stalking if this isn't it," she said flatly. She didn't shift her gaze, but she heard Andy sigh.

"Fine," he gestured with one hand, "I put my investigative skills to work. I looked at the game schedule, and I found your team name. From that, I found the school on the Internet along with the team schedule. Look, I don't even know your last name! I have no phone number, no way to contact you," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Sharon, I just wanted to check on you."

"Andy, I'm fine. I've been fine for years. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself," she told him rather harshly. She heard him sigh again as he put his hands on his elbows and looked toward the field.

"Your son coming up to bat?" he asked, trying to make casual conversation.

"No, he was just at bat last inning. He hit a pop fly that was caught. He will be irritated by that. Andy, why are you here now?" she asked.

"I told you; I just wanted to check on you," he said. "I had no idea you were in LA."

"Hmm, that is what I meant. What are you doing in LA? Last we spoke, you told me you weren't leaving the East Coast, and that you planned to be a cop there for your career. So, what changed now? Retire and ready for new scenery? Wife finally convince you to leave New York?"

Sharon heard him sigh again, "Look, I came out here for my kids," he started to explain. "My ex-wife," he emphasized as he looked to Sharon, and then he further clarified, "I mean, my second ex-wife moved to LA with her new husband. I didn't realize it was a collection point for the former Mrs. Flynn's," he shook his head.

Sharon hummed quietly to herself as she continued to watch the game. She could tell Andy was waiting for her to say something, anything, but she continued to just watch the game.

"My ex-wife moved out here because her husband was transferred. She and I have been divorced for 14 years now. Sandra and the new husband have been here almost two years now, and I have been really missing my kids. Things have never been great with us, my kids and I, I mean," he sighed. "I want to make things better. Nate has been really surprised I've come to all his games this past month. Look, I had started to retire in New York, but then, I worked out a deal here in LA with the LAPD. They needed senior homicide detectives, and I made lieutenant years ago. Anyway, it was a special deal, and here I am," he gestured. "It's for my kids."

"You're working for the LAPD?" Sharon asked, now horrified. In all the scenarios, she had not expected to hear that. She obviously knew he'd become a police officer. He'd done that when he graduated, which had caused some of their problems, but she did not realize he'd taken a job with the LAPD.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I'm a cop. I know how to be a cop. Dirt bags are still dirt bags. Scenery just changed for me. Instead of finding bodies in the river, here, they're in the ocean or up in the hills, and by the way, there are a lot of canyons out here," he chuckled trying to lighten the mood. "So, I'm not trying to bother you, Sharon. I was just curious if your life turned out as you wanted. You look like you became the high-end lawyer you wanted to be. Nice son you have there, so I'm guessing you have the life you wanted-devoted husband, high-end law career, and while the kid surprises me a little, I'm not all that surprised," he nodded toward the dugout. "Me, I've got two kids. You met Nate, and he's 16. Nicole, my daughter, is 18. She's graduating soon and heading off to college. She decided on USC here, which will cost me a pretty penny, but still," he shrugged, "I'm here for my kids. At least my ex and I are splitting the costs."

Sharon hummed, and before she or Andy could say anything further, her phone rang. She dug it out of her bag and sighed. "It's work. Excuse me," she nodded to him as she stood to take her call. She didn't want to take it anywhere near Andy. "Yes, Elliott," she said into the phone as she stepped away. She started to move off the bleachers to take the call. She glanced back and saw Andy was still on the bench watching the game. One thing she did remember about her ex-husband is that he loved baseball. It was one thing they had in common, and here, all these years later, it had caused them to run into each other.

"I'm sorry; I do have to go," Sharon said as she returned to her seat. "I have to get back to work now. I'm going to let Ricky know I'm leaving. I hate that I must go, but it is what it is. Ricky can ride the bus back to the school and catch a ride home from there," she explained to Andy as if she needed to explain anything to him.

"Why don't I walk you out?" Andy suggested. "Sharon, I'm not going to bother you."

She sighed and looked to the dugout and back to Andy. "Fine, I'll meet you over there," she indicated a spot toward the fence. "Let me speak to Ricky."

Sharon made her way toward the dugout and found Ricky. "I'm sorry, Ricky. I have an emergency at work. I hate that I have to go," she sighed.

"Mom, it's fine. You saw me bat twice. Game is almost over. I'll catch a ride home from school," he told her. She nodded and smiled to him.

"There are leftovers in the refrigerator if I'm not home. Love you," she said quietly, knowing anything louder would embarrass him.

Sharon turned and sighed again when she saw Andy waiting for her by the fence. It appeared Ricky hadn't noticed Andy, which was a good thing. Her encounter with Andy had been brief, and Ricky hadn't been to bat. Hopefully, she could get out of the area before Ricky noticed Andy had dropped in at his game. Sharon dragged her feet toward the exit.

"Which way to your car?" he asked looking around. She nodded toward the silver sedan.

"That's me," she nodded. "I really have to get going. There's a mess at work."

Andy nodded as he put his hands in his pockets, "Maybe we could finish catching up another time?" he asked, looking at her with a hopeful expression. "I don't know many people here yet, just some of the guys at work, and my ex-wife, well," he rolled his eyes, "my other ex-wife isn't exactly thrilled to see me here trying to mend fences with the kids."

"Andy, we were the past. Has all that much really changed?" she asked.

He nodded like he was agreeing, but then he looked up to her, "I think a lot has changed. So, can we maybe finish catching up?"

Sharon's phone rang again, and she nodded to it. "Work again. I have to go," she told him, and as she answered it, with a, "Yes, Elliott," she got into her car and threw a quick wave to him. She wasn't trying to be cold, but she did have to get to work. She also wasn't sure what Andy thought reminiscing about old times would do. One thing was for certain now. She'd have to work even harder to avoid him now that she knew he was working for the LAPD. She really hadn't expected to hear that. There were millions of jobs, even thousands for retired police, and he'd worked out some deal to transfer to LA, all his years of experience. A homicide detective, she nodded to herself. She knew he was smart, and that didn't surprise her to hear. He'd even made it to lieutenant, which in a way did surprise her. She was a little surprised he'd wanted to take on any leadership role. Whatever the case, she now knew she had to walk a very thin line if her division was ever called out to a homicide case. Andy might have revealed his job, but he had no idea she'd completely changed her career goals and now outranked him in the very same police department. Life sure had a way of coming back to haunt the past.


	4. Chapter 4

Sharon managed to avoid Andy over the next few weeks, but her daughter was another story. Emily arrived home from college, full of questions that started the minute she walked through the door.

"I'm home!" she called out to the house, taking both Sharon and Ricky by surprise. She had called an hour ago and told them she expected to be at least another hour and a half. Sharon and Ricky were eating lunch.

"Oh, well this is a surprise," Sharon smiled brightly as she stood to hug her daughter. "You made good time. I didn't think you would be here for at least another half hour."

"Yeah, I know," Emily grinned. "I did make good time from San Diego. I thought I was going to get caught in a lot of traffic, but since I waited to come home until Saturday afternoon, it wasn't as bad. Hey Dork," she called out to her brother. "I'm home for the summer!"

"Oh, yeah," he said begrudgingly. Sharon knew her kids loved each other, and this whole banter was just part of their ritual. They spoke on the phone regularly, and she knew Ricky had missed Emily this past year while she'd been away at school. She'd only gone a couple of hours away to San Diego, but still, it had been an adjustment. "So, Mom," Emily turned toward Sharon, "I'm home now. You two are eating," she gestured to the table, "so, let's hear your story. You can't just drop a bomb on us that you were married before and leave it at that."

And, she'd tried; Sharon had tried to leave the past in the past. Sharon had tried to leave the story at that, but her kids were persistent, not that she was surprised. It was a bomb to drop, as Emily had said, but in some ways, Sharon didn't want to get into the past. It didn't affect them, at least to a certain extent. She'd been married and divorced long before they had been born, and she wanted to leave it at that. However, she knew that she also didn't want her kids to repeat many of the mistakes she had, so she'd told them some of the basics. She started to think back on that conversation with the kids when her phone rang, drawing her back to the present, where she was seated at her desk trying to sift through her work.

"Mom, are you still going to come to Ricky's game?" Emily asked her as soon as she answered the phone. Sharon sighed, knowing she desperately wanted to go to the game, but also knowing she had a lot of work to still get through before the end of the day.

"Ahh, yes," Sharon sighed. "I have a lot of work to do here, but I am going to get away for at least an hour. Tell you what," she started to say to Emily, "I will meet you at the game, and maybe we can all grab dinner before I head back to the office?"

"Sounds good, Mom," Emily told her. "Ricky knows you can't always be at his games. I think you have done a good job of juggling everything. I'll be there, and I'll see you when you get there."

Sharon did what she'd promised. She worked through some of her paperwork and then met Emily at Ricky's game. She was glad she went too because she got to see Ricky hit a double, and his teammate scored the winning run. When the game ended, she and Emily waited for Ricky outside the dugout.

"Oh, that was a great hit," she said as she hugged Ricky. He was beaming, his smile stretching ear to ear as he returned his mom's hug.

"Thanks! I'm so glad we won. It was a tough game," he told them.

"I'd like to think I was your good luck," Emily said as she took a bow. "I come to your game, and you win." They all started to chuckle.

"Well, I have time for a quick bite to eat, and then I have to get back to work. I still have piles of paperwork to complete," she told them.

"How about Luigis?" Emily suggested flashing a big smile to her mom. "We haven't eaten there in ages. Plus, it's close to work for you."

Sharon was about to object, but the kids both gave her a look, "Alright," she sighed. "I haven't eaten there in years, but that's partly because half of the LAPD always seems to be eating there."

"It's dinner, Mom," Ricky told her. "Most have gone home. It should be LAPD free."

Sharon nodded in agreement, and the three made their way to the cars. Ricky offered to ride with Sharon, knowing he wouldn't see her for a few hours at home. Sharon was glad they'd suggested Luigis even if she did protest a bit. She liked the place; she just didn't like seeing every cop she'd had in her office while she ate her meal. The kids loved eating there; it brought back fond memories from their childhood. Sharon had taken them there many nights when she just didn't have the energy to go home and cook dinner. She'd spent most of their childhood as a single parent, and Luigis was safe, and the food was always good. She and Ricky talked about their days on the drive to dinner.

"My friend Sarah asked if I'd go to prom with her," Ricky smiled as he turned to talk to Sharon.

"Did she?" Sharon asked as she smiled back. "I assume you are going?"

"Yeah, it's not a date or anything," he told Sharon. "Prom is only in a couple weeks, and she really wants to go. No guy asked her, and the juniors and seniors have to be the ones asking. Underclassmen can go if a junior or senior asks them." Sarah was a friend of both Emily and Ricky's. She was between the two in school, and they had known her for years. Lately, she hadn't heard much about Sarah, as she had been closer to Emily. Sharon was glad her son was taking his friend to the prom.

"Hmm," Sharon nodded. "I remember. Emily went to prom her sophomore years as well. That sounds like a nice evening. We'll have to rent a tux for you. Find out what color her dress is, and we'll see what we can do to match it. Oh, you're going to look so handsome," she smiled as she reached over and squeezed Ricky's arm. "Of course, a shower before prom would be a good idea," she chuckled at just how dusty Ricky was from his game. He laughed too.

Emily was waiting outside the restaurant when they arrived. Sharon held her tongue about how fast Emily had been driving. She'd scolded her many times over the years, but she was starting to hold her words now that Emily was legally an adult. It didn't mean that she worried any less about her daughter, but she was trying to give her some space. The three went inside and were seated quickly.

Because they all knew what they wanted, they ordered quickly, and their food arrived shortly after that. Sharon was grateful because she knew she had piles of paperwork to go through at the office. They finished eating, Sharon paid the bill, and they all started toward the front door.

"Andy!" she exclaimed as they got to the front door. He was at the entrance talking to the hostess. He looked up, his surprise to see her evident on his face.

"Ahh, ohh, Sharon," he said as he offered a small smile. He glanced to Ricky and Emily, and his eyes grew wide in surprise.

"You have a daughter? I'm assuming she's your daughter? Is this your daughter?" he asked, as he studied Emily and blurted out question after question. The kids had stopped near the entrance, glancing toward each other. Ricky had seen Andy before, of course, before he knew who he was, but Emily had never met him.

"Oh, ahh, yes," Sharon messed with her purse to try and not have to look up at Andy. She eventually had to, knowing anything else was being rude. "This is my daughter, Emily," she gestured to Emily. "Emily, this is Andy Flynn."

"Hi, Mr. Flynn," Emily nodded as she smiled at Andy. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Andy said as he stared at Emily. He nodded to her and offered a small smile before he turned to Ricky. "Nice to see you again, Ricky. I'm guessing you had a baseball game, or is this just your look?" he smirked.

Ricky smiled brightly as he started to laugh, "Yeah, I had a game. These two might tell you I smell all the time, though."

Andy nodded and turned his attention back to Sharon who was looking between Andy and the kids. "I could have picked Emily out anywhere. She looks just like you did when you were her age. College?" he questioned looking between Sharon and Emily.

"Yes, I just got home. I finished my first year," she explained. Sharon found her voice and looked back to Andy.

"I guess you found one of the best Italian restaurants in LA," she said to Andy. "We were just leaving."

"Yeah, well, new guy," he shrugged, "so, I was voluntold to come here and pick up dinner. We're working tonight. Wow," he said as he shook his head looking toward Emily, "Sharon, she really looks like you."

"Really?" Sharon asked as she looked to Emily. Emily and Sharon glanced toward each other and both shrugged. "I thought as a child, she looked more like me, but as she's getting older, I see more of her dad."

Andy just shook his head, "I see you," he told Sharon as he nodded to Emily. "That's a good thing," he smiled to her.

"Well, we need to get going," Sharon nodded to the kids, their cue to leave the restaurant. "Ahh, have a good evening, Andy," she told him.

"You too, Sharon," he nodded to her. "Emily, Ricky, glad to see you both. Sharon," he called out to her, as she'd turned toward the kids, "I had no idea you had two kids. I'd met Ricky a few weeks ago, but any other kids you are hiding?" he joked.

"No," she nodded. "These two are my life." With that, Sharon nodded to him again and turned to leave the restaurant. She'd ushered the kids out, not wanting to get into more of a discussion with Andy. Once on the street, she continued to usher the kids to the cars. Ricky would now ride home with Emily so Sharon could go back to work.

"Mom, THAT was Andy?" Emily asked, mouth open, shocked now that she'd met him.

"Yes, why?" Sharon sighed, not wanting to discuss things again.

"I'm just surprised. He's well, he seems nice," she shrugged, "and, I have to say, even though he's older, he's easy on the eyes, Mom." Ricky threw a disgusted look to Emily, and she just shrugged. "What? He is," she rolled her eyes at her brother.

Sharon shook her head as they reached Emily's car, "I told you it was a long time ago, and things were very complicated. We are both different people, and I'm still trying to get used to the idea that I'm going to be running into him all over LA. You'd think in a city this size, I wouldn't have to see him."

"He mentioned work. Does he not know where you work?" Emily asked. "Somehow, that didn't come up when you were explaining this mysterious life you led."

Sharon sighed again, "No, I haven't informed him of my current job. It's complicated. Look, before he comes out here armed with food for half the LAPD, you two need to get home, and I need to get back to work myself. I really want to get back to work before I run into him again."

"Mom, you make life so complicated," Emily sighed as she and Ricky climbed into her car.

"Hmm, it's complicated on its own, Sweetheart. Let us not forget that we are all still tied to another man," she pointed to the kids.

"Dad? Really? Mom, it's no secret he's got some new life in Vegas. I don't want to think about what he's been doing, or really, I should say who-" Ricky was cut off by Sharon.

"Do not go there, Ricky," Sharon said sternly. "I believe we are all well aware of Jack's disinterest with us."

"Mom, he's probably hanging over women not much older than Em," Ricky pointed out. "That disgusts me."

"Ricky! Dad needs help and wants to do better, but until he admits he's an alcoholic and gambler, he won't get better. Mom, you don't have to stay married to Dad. We understand," Emily sighed. "Anyway, it's not like we can change your mind."

"No," Sharon drew her lips together as she studied her two children, "you can't change my mind. I'm the adult living my life. I'm trying to give you two the best, and right now, I'm not discussing the mistakes of my past, nor the husbands I've had or currently still have. Now, you two go," she walked over and kissed Emily and walked around and kissed Ricky. "I will be awhile. Be safe and kind to each other. I'll see you later."

The kids waved as they drove away, and Sharon quickly made her way to her car. She spent the short drive back to work thinking of her past, the good and the bad, wondering why now, Andy had to show back up in her life as he had. She sighed, knowing she needed to do the right thing and at least tell him where she worked. It would open more questions, but she wasn't about to start any problems with Andy. It would be just her luck she'd have a run-in with him at work, and before that happened, she needed to clear the air regarding several different matters.


	5. Chapter 5

She drummed her fingers on her desk and sighed. She looked toward the window, which gave her a decent view of LA and wondered if she had made the right decision. As she was about to second guess herself, a knock at her door drew her out of her thoughts.

"Captain, a Lieutenant Flynn is here for you," her sergeant told her. She'd asked to be alerted when he arrived. Since she'd decided to come clean with Andy, she'd been a nervous wreck, and her stomach had been in knots.

"Please send him in," she nodded to her sergeant and shifted in her chair. She wasn't sure what vibe she was trying to give off with Andy; as well as she'd known him long ago, she knew he would be a case of emotions when he walked into her office. "Please let the team know they can leave for the evening," she told her sergeant quietly. "I'll be heading out when I finish with Lieutenant Flynn."

He nodded in response to her request. Sharon had waited until the end of the work day to call Andy to her office. She was sure he was probably cursing everything at the moment, wondering what he'd done to end up in FID. "Lieutenant, Captain Raydor will see you," she heard her sergeant call out to Andy. She couldn't see out into the office area of her team room; her blinds were closed, and the door entryway was at an angle from her desk. Her sergeant moved out of the way and nodded to Sharon as he left. She made a last-minute change in her stance and sat forward in her chair and crossed her hands on her desk. She glanced up as Andy walked in, unaware of just what he was walking into right now.

"Sharon?" he looked at her with wide eyes, as he turned back to the door. It was now closed, and it was very clear Andy was thoroughly confused at the situation. "Wait, what?" he asked as he looked back to her. She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk.

"Andy, have a seat, please," she nodded to him again and folded her hands on her desk again. He continued to stare at her as he tried to piece everything together. "Andy," she called out to him again, not trying to raise her voice, but to alert him that he was still standing there, staring.

He finally shook his head, as if trying to snap out of his daze. He looked to the seats, and Sharon gestured to them again.

"Please sit. I feel I owe you an explanation," she offered a small smile as she glanced to him. She hadn't studied his face much during their run-ins. He'd aged, but she had as well. Age had been good to Andy. His hair was starting to turn a silver color, not just gray, but a silver because it almost had a shine to it. He'd put on a little weight, but she had too. He wasn't the 20-year-old she'd fallen in love with, but she wasn't that girl anymore either. Decades had gone by, and they had lived their lives.

Andy moved to the chair and sat as he continued to stare at Sharon. He finally spoke, "Sharon, what is going on here? This is your office?"

Sharon cleared her throat and met Andy's gaze before she started to speak. "Yes, this is my office." She gestured to her nameplate, "Captain Sharon Raydor, and I run FID."

"Wait, no," he shook his head. "You're a lawyer, right? That's all I heard for years, about you wanting to go to law school. I've seen you around town in your suits," he started to wave his hands around, "always taking work calls and needing to get back to the office." Sharon stood.

"Like this suit?" she gestured to what she was wearing. "Andy, yes, this is my office. I do get a lot of work calls and work long hours. Look, running into you a few weeks ago took me by surprise. I wasn't sure what to do with it, and then when you told me you were working for the LAPD, that threw me for even more of a surprise. It's taken me a few days to work through everything, and I'm still not sure exactly what is going on, but I knew I needed to come clean with you. I didn't want to let this all fester and come up down the road at some point when I'm called in to investigate a case." Sharon sat back down to talk to him; she wasn't trying to look like she was overpowering him.

"You're a cop? What is going on?" he asked. "You never liked this line of work; your parents didn't either."

Sharon hummed as she let Andy finish his thought, and then she spoke again. "Andy, I realize we do need to talk, to clear the air, especially if we are going to both work in the same building. I'd say we are both surprised by a lot of what we've already learned about each other's lives. Yes, I am a police officer. I have been most of my career. I am not a lawyer, which is its own conversation," she sighed. "As I told you just now, I am a captain here, head of this division. I've worked long and hard to get where I am today, and I know you understand what that is like. It's been even harder as a woman to climb the ranks. If you haven't already, I'm sure you'll hear all around the building about the horrible Captain Raydor in charge of FID."

"Um, well, yeah," he nodded. "I've heard grumblings. Honestly, I never asked anything more, and aside from hearing the guys talk about the woman in charge here I knew nothing. I've tried to keep my head down and focus on work, which is why I was shocked when I was summoned here today. I'd told my partner, Provenza, that I had to come up here, and both of us were going over the last few cases, wondering what in the world could have been an issue."

"It's not a case matter," she gestured to the space between them. "I'm sorry for calling you up here like this, but I didn't know where to start. I realize it might look very unprofessional calling you up here on a somewhat personal matter, but I also realize that our professional and personal lives were about to collide, and I didn't want that to happen at a crime scene. You've been nothing but kind since we first saw each other, and I wanted to at least give you an explanation."

Andy nodded slightly as he glanced around the room. "I can't believe you are a cop. What happened? I can say I never saw this coming, never. Cop, kids, wow," he sighed. "It's like I never knew you."

"Hmm, just as you moving to LA is something I never expected from you, or should I say moving at all? Andy, I think we both have made a lot of life choices that now would surprise each of us. I guess I wanted to just let you know about my job so it's not awkward around here. Listen, I can request to be pulled from any investigation you might ever be part of if you like. It doesn't have to be a conflict of interest, but I can excuse myself."

"And, what makes you think I'll end up on this side of your desk again, Sharon, or I'm sorry," he looked to her nameplate, "I mean, Captain Raydor?" Andy asked, now a little angry and irritated he couldn't even remember her name. "I'm a good cop."

"Your file from New York is quite large," she gestured to her pile. "I did pull it before I called you up here because if I hadn't, it would have looked odd to my staff to just call you up here. Now, you do have a fresh start here, but your file was sent when you moved here. It was requested as part of the deal you made, one that came though as a sort of transfer."

"That file is from my past!" Andy exclaimed. "If you check, you'll find that the last thing in there was from over six years ago, a complaint that was dismissed. All complaints in there were dismissed! There also haven't been any drinking charges for over 10 years."

Sharon eyed him over the rim of her glasses, "So, the drinking did become an issue?"

He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, and then he used it to gesture to her, "Yes, okay? You were right about that, right to be concerned. It was getting out of hand. It did get out of hand. My ex-wife, my other ex-wife," he clarified as he eyed her, "threw me out because I'd become a drunk. She didn't want that for our kids. Yes, I realize that I should have noticed the red flags long before that. You raised many concerns yourself, but for a few years, I kept it contained, or so I thought. Nicole was three, and Nate was one when Sandra threw me out. Our divorce was finalized a year later, but even then, it took me a few more years to stay sober, but I have been for over 10 years now. I messed up; I know that. I destroyed that marriage, and I know it didn't help with ours either." Andy slumped back in his chair as he looked to the ceiling.

Sharon pursed her lips as she looked to Andy. He'd just confessed a lot to her, and she nodded in response. "I'm very glad to hear you are sober and haven't been drinking. I'm sorry it got that bad."

"Are you?" he fired back. "Are you really glad to hear it got that bad, or are you going to gloat that you were right? You did plenty of that back then, trying to act high and mighty about my drinking then." He looked to Sharon and realized he'd snapped when she was trying to clear up things from their past. "I'm sorry," he raised a hand. "I'm not here to argue, really. I don't want to start that again with you right now."

Sharon leaned back and crossed her arms, as she glared at Andy. The room was silent for a few moments before she spoke again, "I am glad you are sober, Andy. It's good for you and for your job. Drinking does destroy lives; I know that well."

Andy nodded, assuming Sharon was only talking about their marriage, but unaware of what it had done to her second marriage as well. "So, that's why I moved here," Andy offered before Sharon could say anything more. "I ruined things with my kids when they were little. By the time I was well on my way to staying sober, they were old enough to know about my mistakes. Sandra had done her part to paint a picture of me being a loser. It's been a hard picture to change; the kids haven't wanted much to do with me. When they moved, I almost couldn't take it. I tried to move on there, but I knew I had to do better by them. That's why I moved here. I had no idea you were in LA. Honestly, after we divorced, I didn't know what happened with you. I couldn't even trace you after college, and I knew you wanted to start fresh somewhere else."

"Yes, I did," Sharon said quietly. "I did that; I moved and started over out here."

"So," he gestured to her nameplate, "Raydor? That's your last name?"

"Hmm, yes," Sharon nodded. "I've been a Raydor for 22 years now."

Andy nodded as he looked down to the floor, "So, I guess you're happy? Your husband?" he asked, not sure what he wanted to ask, or rather how he wanted to ask, but he was trying to find out about Sharon's life and marriage.

"I'd prefer not to discuss my husband right now," she said.

Andy looked up to her, "So, you are married?" He gestured to her hand, "You don't have on any rings. I wasn't sure. At least when we were married, you always wore your rings."

Sharon flinched slightly and glanced to her hand as if it was a surprise what she would or really what she wouldn't find there. "I'm married, yes. Now that we've established that, we can move on because Jack isn't part of this discussion."

"Jack? Is that your husband, I presume?" Andy asked. "So, you've got a husband named Jack, a son, Ricky, and a daughter, Emily who looks so much like you it's scary. It was like a time warp looking at her."

Sharon internally scolded herself. She hadn't wanted to let Jacks' name slip. Sharon knew Andy was probably a very good detective, and if he wanted, he could find out plenty about Jack, as well as her marriage to Jack. Sharon chose to ignore Andy's question and returned the focus to their jobs. "Andy, I'm not one to gossip or get into the antics of the LAPD. It's one thing that makes me good for my job. I do not plan to let our personal past interfere with work here now. I hope you won't either."

"Basically, you aren't planning to tell anyone you were married to a low-life like me," Andy glanced to her, waiting until he met her eyes before he looked away.

"No," she sighed. "Andy, I do not think of you as a low-life. I just don't think our history needs to be put on display for the LAPD."

"I agree about that, but this whole business with you excusing yourself from cases I might be involved with in the future, what about that?" he asked.

"I'm in charge here. I can easily delegate. I wanted to clarify I won't be a problem with any case your division catches. Look, I don't have to excuse myself. That's up to you."

"Go ahead and stay on any case I have. You'll see that I always follow the law. I don't cross it. I might go right up to the line, but I don't cross it. If you ever find a time I do, go ahead and fire me. I'll deserve it!" he exclaimed as he was now starting to get agitated.

"Fine, Andy," Sharon sighed. "I won't excuse myself from any case of yours. If you change your mind, let me know. I'm trying to keep things professional."

"Yeah," he sighed again, as he waved to her. "I know. It just really irks me to find you sitting behind that desk. You, the person who was going to be this huge prosecutor and didn't want a career in law enforcement. You sit there, outranking me nonetheless, and here we are talking about you potentially investigating me in future cases!"

"Yes, I understand. It's a lot to take in; I've been trying to wrap my head around it myself. I want to keep things professional, Andy, so as the captain in charge of this division, I'm telling you if anything comes across as unprofessional from me, please let me know."

"Fine," he waved. "I still have a lot of questions about well, everything," he huffed. "You seem like a completely different person."

"And, you seem like the pre-drinking Andy I remember," she told him. The two stared at each other for a few moments before Andy spoke again.

"Do you regret the choices you have made?" he asked.

Sharon crossed her arms as she thought a moment. That wasn't a question she'd expected, but as she remembered, one of the things she'd loved about Andy was his insightfulness. He always knew exactly what to ask to really make her think. It was something Jack never did, and she was just seeing that now. She had changed quite a bit, but she appreciated someone getting right to the point and challenging her to think.

"Yes-and no," she told him.

"That's not an answer," he pointed out to her. "Everyone would say that."

"Fine. Yes, there are things I regret. We cannot change the past. Some of the things I regret, though, wouldn't have put me here where I am today, and I mean that in every aspect of my life. Why should I continue to regret decision I made when they can't be changed? Life goes on, and I have learned I can't dwell in the past."

Andy stood, "That is something on which we can agree," he tapped his hand on her desk. "I think I've been trying to do too much of that, dwelling in the past. I'm going to go now, seeing as how you pointed out it's not good to dwell on the past and that you've also pointed out we have to deal with this now as a professional relationship. At some point, I do want to hear how you ended up here, and by here, I mean in LA as a cop, but for our professional relationship, I will go now. Captain," he nodded to her as he moved to the door.

"Andy," Sharon called to him as he placed his hand on the door, "do you regret the past?" She'd been put on the spot and forced to answer, but she hadn't asked Andy.

"Very much so," he nodded to her before he opened the door and walked out, leaving Sharon there to reflect on their conversation.


	6. Chapter 6

The weeks passed. Sharon ran into Andy twice in the building, and both times, she silently thanked herself she'd come clean with him. Neither situation would have been ideal to spring on him that she, indeed, was a police officer, much less a police captain in charge of FID for the city. Her two run-ins had been brief. One had been in the elevator as she and one of her detectives were getting on together. She'd paused as the doors opened when she noticed Andy and Provenza on the elevator. A simple nod and a "Hello Gentleman," had been their only communication. While awkward, it had worked out fine, seeing as she and her detective were talking and looking over a file as they got on the elevator and continued in the same manner while on the elevator. Her second encounter had been just a couple weeks ago as she was getting into her car in the parking garage to go out on a work-related call. Andy and Provenza had just pulled back in with a service vehicle and parked it three away from her service vehicle. Once again, she'd nodded to the men, and things had been at least civil.

That wasn't to say that she didn't think of him; she had been on many occasions. She was curious about his life, she had to admit. Their encounter in her office hadn't given her much information about his past, and she kept finding herself wanting to know about the last 20 years of his life. At home, she'd waited until late at night, after both kids had gone to bed or at least retired to their rooms before she'd dug out her old box on several occasions. Sharon found that she now liked looking through it in the comfort of her closet, which was odd itself, considering she had a comfortable bed to sit on and look at a much earlier time in her life. There was something about sitting on her closet floor that was comforting to her, and she now frequently found herself going to that box to think, remember, and reflect.

With Emily home and both kids done with school for the summer, it wasn't hard to focus on them. Sharon and the kids took a short vacation to the family ski condo in Utah during July. It was a great time to be there, well, not if you wanted to ski, but it was a great time to be outdoors, to enjoy nature. She and the kids spent a relaxing week there and found that getting away from work and thoughts of Andy was good for her. It was only by the end of August, after she and Ricky had taken Emily back to school, and Ricky had started back to school, that her mind started wandering again too. She was just curious, curious about Andy and what he'd done with his life. 20 years was a long time, and really, it had been well over 20 years now. It just seemed like an easy thing to say that they hadn't seen each other for 20 years.

Cases kept her busy through most of September and October. The holidays crept up, and she spent time shopping for Christmas presents for the kids. Emily came home again, and Sharon took the kids to Utah to see more of her family. She never mentioned running into Andy to her parents; their marriage hadn't been a favorite topic for Sharon's family, and she'd asked the kids to not get into it either. It was complicated, she had told them, and she didn't want to get her parents opinions on Andy once again. Besides that, she hadn't brought up Andy or their brief run-ins at work. The kids had asked a couple of times if she saw him, and she'd told them she'd only seen him a couple times in the building, and they seemed to drop it. Thankfully, her kids knew her well enough to not meddle in her life. From what they could tell, she wasn't interested in any sort of interaction with Andy.

And, to some extent, that was true. She really didn't want to strike up a friendship with Andy, but they did have a history. Sharon had denied wanting to know anything about him for months now. Here he was, her ex-husband, living and working in the same city as she was, and she'd honestly avoided him for months. She tried to convince herself it was just a phase, something she'd get over soon, knowing anything about Andy, but her curiosity continued to grow. She was curious, and that is how in late January, she found herself letting down her guard when she ran into him again on the elevator.

Sharon was on the elevator, alone, which was a rarity in the building. She had gone to her car for paperwork she'd taken home and forgotten to collect and was studying a file when the door opened. She started to give a quick glance to the door, but that turned into a much longer glance when she saw Andy get on the elevator. It had stopped on the first floor, and again, if Sharon being alone in the elevator wasn't odd enough, the fact that only Andy got on from the first floor was an even stranger coincidence.

"Hi," she glanced to him, an almost panicked expression on her face as she realized that she would indeed have to speak to him as they rode the elevator upstairs. "Coffee break?" she threw him a nervous smile as she nodded to the cup in his hand.

"Umm, Sharon, hi," he nodded to her as he stepped inside and punched the number for his floor. He turned to the side of the elevator car; Sharon had been leaning against the back of the elevator with her work. "I needed a caffeine boost," he held up the cup slightly. "Case dragged me out of bed at 2:30 this morning."

"Ahh," she nodded. "I see. How is it going?" she asked. "I mean, the case," she stammered as she corrected herself.

"Fine," Andy sighed as he looked down to the floor and crossed one leg over the other in a relaxed stance. "Weeding out dirt bags to find the right one, at least the one who did it," he shrugged.

Sharon hummed as she closed her folder and clutched it against her chest. She nodded and cleared her throat before she spoke, "Have a nice Christmas?" she asked.

Andy looked up, surprised that she was striking up a conversation, "It was nice. Our division worked Christmas, and people always kill each other on holidays," he rolled his eyes. "I did get to see my kids a few times over their holiday break. I took them to a movie, made them dinner, did the whole present thing, and we did some shopping for them for school. Progress with them. Saw a few friends over the holidays too."

"Ahh, very good," Sharon offered a tight smile as she looked to the elevator buttons. It seemed to be taking a very long time to go from floor to floor.

"Of course, the comic relief during the holiday season was seeing Provenza with his family," Andy flashed an almost nervous grin to Sharon. She could tell he was trying to keep the conversation light with her. "His first ex, Liz, invited him over. He's been married to her twice, along with two others," Andy chuckled. "Anyway, I got dragged along with him because he didn't want to go alone. It was comical seeing Provenza with kids and grandkids. Guy pretends to hate everyone."

"Hmm," Sharon nodded as she looked again to the elevator buttons. "He has that reputation."

Sharon wasn't sure what more to say, and she was relieved when the elevator stopped on Andy's floor. He nodded to her as he pushed off the wall to leave the elevator. "Have a good day, Sharon."

"Andy," she called to him, and he turned around to see what she wanted. "Want to, I don't know, get a cup of coffee sometime? Catch up?" she offered.

The request seemed to take Andy by surprise, "Oh, ahh, sure," he nodded. "Shoot me an email."

Sharon just nodded and waited until the door closed before she let out her breath. What had just happened? She'd found herself alone in the elevator talking to Andy. She'd even invited him for coffee at some point, and now she was expected to "shoot him an email" to set the plans in motion. All that would mean they'd have to talk. They would talk about their families, their kids, their lives. Sharon wasn't sure she was ready to do that, to confide in Andy. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear about his life either, his ex-wife and family. Then, there was Jack. How was Sharon going to explain Jack? She really didn't want to talk about him, but he was a thorn in her side she couldn't avoid. Clearly, he was still her husband, but she didn't want to discuss that complicated mess. She leaned her head against the elevator, sighing as she realized what a can of worms she, or really her big mouth, had just opened.


	7. Chapter 7

She sipped on her cup of tea and checked her watch again. Yes, she was early; she knew that. However, if one was over an hour early, was that just being early or just plain crazy? Sharon had arrived at the coffee shop over an hour early. She wasn't sure why, but it felt like the place to sit and think. It had taken a couple weeks to meet with Andy; work schedules had been a mess, and she didn't really want to try and squeeze in their 20 plus year catch-up during a quick lunch break. Now, it was the first week of February, and the two had agreed to meet on a Saturday morning, mid-morning, to be more precise at a coffee shop away from downtown. The last thing either needed was anyone they knew eavesdropping on their personal past. So, Sharon had suggested getting away a bit, 30 minutes north near the beach. She'd found this coffee shop, and she'd sent the location to Andy. They'd agreed near the beach, and because he didn't know his way around too well yet, she'd come early, very early, to find the right place. Originally, she had thought they could walk and talk on the beach, but it was an unnaturally dreary day for sunny Los Angeles, and with the weather the way it was, the beach was out for today.

As she checked her watch again, she heard the door to the coffee shop open and looked up. She raised her hand in a quick motion, as if Andy wouldn't be able to find her otherwise. The coffee shop wasn't busy for a dreary Saturday morning.

"Hi," she said as she offered a small smile to him. "Find the place okay?"

"Hi, yeah, no problem," he nodded to her. "Need a refill?" he gestured to her empty cup.

She looked down, actually surprised she'd finished her tea. She didn't remember finishing it. "Oh, well, yes, but it's tea, not coffee. I'll order another."

Andy gestured for her to sit, "Just tell me what you would like. I'll get it with my coffee."

"Thanks," she nodded. "It's one of their herbal teas," and she turned to gesture to the menu. "Right there," she indicated as Andy's eyes followed her movements.

"Got it," he told her. "I'll be right back."

Sharon nodded, and Andy went to get in line. Her back was to him, making it awkward to watch for him, but she shifted slightly to watch his form. He was strong; she could see that. He'd always been strong, but he seemed to have kept in shape over the years, something almost required for being a police officer. Well, as she chuckled, thinking about Andy's partner, Provenza, staying in shape was something most police officers tried to do.

"Everything okay?" Andy asked, an inquisitive look on his face as he returned to see Sharon smiling in her lost thoughts.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up. "Oh, thank you for the tea. I was just people watching," she told him, which was true. Andy didn't need to know he was the subject of her wandering eyes.

"Ahh," Andy nodded as he slipped into the booth across from Sharon. He took off his light jacket. "It's really nasty out there this morning. It almost feels like New York and not Los Angeles."

"Yes," Sharon nodded in agreement. "Although, I suppose New York would be more likely to get snow right now. Snow here would have people in a panic," she chuckled.

"Right," Andy nodded as he started to sip his coffee. The table was quiet while both did that.

"I'm not sure where to start," Sharon shook her head as she looked down to the table. "I just, well, I thought we could catch up. I know it's been a long time, Andy, and I don't know much about you, about the life you've led the last, gosh, over two decades."

"Same," Andy nodded. "I'm glad you wanted to catch up. It seems as if we'll keep running into each other in the building. Best to maybe clear the air?" he suggested. "Where would you like to start?"

"Hmm, tell me about your kids?" Sharon offered in a question as she smiled. She loved talking about Emily and Ricky. That seemed to be a generally safe topic, and neither knew much about the other's kids.

"Sure," Andy smiled. "Nicole is my older one. She's a freshman in college at USC. She's a math whiz," he smiled. "We wonder where she gets that," he chuckled and then continued to explain, saying, "because my ex-wife, ahh, Sandra is an art teacher. Neither kid seems to have an artistic bone, but Nicole loves math. She is studying accounting and wants to work for one of those big firms. Even in high school, she was more into things like math club. I don't think pulling financials for cases qualifies me as a math whiz," he grinned. "Sandra tried to get her to try the arts, but it wasn't Nicole. She even did chess club some, and that's where I really learned how to play chess. She now beats me every time," Andy grumbled as he rolled his eyes in jest to Sharon.

Sharon started to laugh as she nodded toward Andy. "Hmm, why do I guess that doesn't go over well with you?" she teased.

"Maybe because you remember I hate losing at games," he pointed out to her and sighed. "I've tried to work through my love of winning. I'm now used to admitting defeat," he joked.

Sharon continued to laugh and sat back. She could feel the tension leaving her body and was enjoying herself as she listened to Andy talk about Nicole.

"Does she have a boyfriend? I somehow can't imagine any boy will enjoy the inquisition from you," she smiled.

"Not currently," he told her. "She dated a little in high school. She's a beautiful girl, long dark hair, but she was more interested in her grades, which I was very glad to support." Sharon nodded in agreement as she offered a small smile. "She had guys chasing after her, but no one serious. I'm fine with that. I told her that her time would come."

"Indeed," Sharon nodded. "She lives on campus, I presume?"

"Yeah, she's got a roommate, nice girl from what I can tell. They are in the dorms, and she's really happy there. Campus is nice, fine," he corrected, "but it's not where I would have picked for her. She loves it; that's all that matters."

"I agree," Sharon nodded. "I feel the same way. I just want my kids to be happy and to make good decisions. Sending them off to college," she rolled her eyes, "it's hard."

"Right," Andy nodded as he looked to Sharon. "Tell me about Emily, your daughter," he nodded to her. "She's older than Nicole, if I remember, right?"

"Yes, a year older, I guess," Sharon told him. "She's a sophomore at San Diego State. That's where she wanted to go. Again, I'm glad she's happy. It's not my perfect pick for a college for her, but it's what she wanted."

Andy nodded, "So, what is she studying?"

"Dance," Sharon said as she nodded. "Yes, I know. You're thinking what I thought, that it's a useless degree. Emily is a ballerina. She's hoping to get a job in New York or maybe here on the West Coast when she graduates. Her dream job is New York. Now, she does like art and is also studying art history as a minor," she smiled. "Honestly," Sharon took a deep breath, "regarding dance, I think she's that good."

"Really?" Andy asked, his eyebrows raised in complete surprise. "Sharon, that's amazing! She's a ballerina, huh? Wow," he chuckled as he asked, "where does she get that?"

Sharon started to laugh, "I'm not sure. I wasn't into dance like that. I did it as a little girl, but I was never anything like Emily. She wanted to take ballet," Sharon shrugged. "When she was little, she wanted to start dancing. Honestly, I put her in it when she was three because she just had so much energy, and I had a newborn at home. It was something I could handle. There was a ballet studio near my church, and I could pick her up after work, get her to her class, and I could tend to Ricky. It worked, and apparently, it stuck," she continued to chuckle. "Now," she gestured, "here we are."

"Wow, a ballerina," Andy nodded in support. "That's very unusual, and I can say I've never met one. Does she just perform there at school?"

"No," Sharon smiled, "I mean, she does perform there at school. It is her major. She danced a lot here all over LA when she was in high school. She has a part-time job in San Diego at a local studio where she teaches the little ones. She's hoping to land a bigger part for the summer performance taking place here in LA. I think the tryouts are at the end of this month. I can barely keep up with where she's trying to perform. If she gets a part, she'll be in a production all summer here in LA. I'd love that, to have her home again for the summer. I know those times are few and far between anymore."

"I agree," Andy nodded, "although, I think Nicole plans to stay in the area when she graduates. It sounds like Emily has other plans."

"She does," Sharon gave a slight smile. "She's a dreamer. I just hope she can do what she loves. Is your son like your daughter?"

"Oh, not at all," Andy chuckled. "As you know, he plays baseball. He's got a temper, like me, and honestly, our relationship is the one that needs the most work. Nicole has been okay with me; things aren't great, but we do spend time together. Nate is the one who still doubts every move I make. He's the one surprised I come to his games. He was younger when things went bad," Andy sighed as he shook his head. "From what he remembers, I wasn't there. I'm not at all sure what he wants to study, but I know it's not art, it's not anything related to criminal justice, and it won't be anything related to math like Nicole."

"Hmm, so he didn't get the art gene from your ex-wife either?" Sharon asked, smiling a little to Andy.

"No," Andy grinned, "not at all. I could see him in business. He does well with people, just not me," Andy explained. "He'd do well in business. I guess time will tell. What about Ricky?"

"Computers," Sharon rolled her eyes. "He loves computers. I don't understand half of what he tells me about them, but he loves taking them apart, fixing them, and then doing all types of odd things with them. He's a computer whiz. Yes, he loves baseball, but I think he enjoys computers even more."

"Really? Computers, huh?" Andy grinned. "I've kept up with the times, you know," he gestured, "for work, but I can't say I love computers. I do my job, but they aren't my favorite thing."

"Hmm, I agree," Sharon nodded. "Ricky, well, he loves computers."

"So, what year in school is he?" Andy asked.

"Oh, a junior," Sharon shook her head. "Sorry, I got off track a bit. He's a junior, and he wants to go to Stanford."

"He and Nate are the same age, then," Andy nodded to her.

"I guess they are," Sharon told him.

"So, Stanford?" Andy asked. "That's a pretty penny too. How'd he get stuck on Stanford?"

"Oh, well, umm, his grandfather, Jacks' dad, went to school there. It's something he's been stuck on for quite some time," she stammered, trying to turn the conversation away from Jack. "Anyway, he knows Stanford has a great computer program, and that's where he'd like to go."

Andy just nodded as he continued to sip on his coffee. Sharon looked down and found her tea cup empty again. She wasn't sure just how long ago she'd finished it. "So, you want to tell me about him?" Andy asked. Sharon looked up, trying to read through Andy's cryptic question. "Jack?" he clarified. "Come on, Sharon. Let's address the elephant in the room, or I should say one of the many in the room."


	8. Chapter 8

Sharon continued to look down and then looked up where she met Andy's gaze. She sighed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before she opened them again. "Well," she shrugged, as she tried to plaster on a small smile, "as I told you, I'm married to Jack." Andy took a sip of his coffee, as he listened, and Sharon was glad he'd taken his gaze off her for the moment. "But-" she started again and stopped.

"But?" he asked, now looking at her again. "Look, Sharon, I'm not blind. You say you're married, yet you don't wear your rings, which I know that's not like you, or at least it wasn't like you, and you never mention the guy. I've not seen you with him, granted, I don't see you that much, but I also know that something is off. People who are in a happy marriage don't present as you do."

"You can still read me," she offered a small smile.

"It was one thing I could do well," he nodded in reply.

She sighed as she shook her head, "Andy, I have thought about this, about talking to you about Jack. I thought about trying to paint this picture of a great marriage, but I can't. Andy, Jack and I have been legally separated for 15 years, since Ricky was tiny."

She looked to Andy in an attempt to gauge his reaction. He nodded, "I heard some grumblings to hint at that. Jack doesn't seem to be well-liked around the building from what little I have heard. Want to talk about it?"

Sharon turned her head to her side and pursed her lips, "My ex-husband is inviting me to share details about my current, estranged husband?" She sighed and shook her head, "It's odd to me this sounds like a good idea, but I am not sure I am a good judge of things myself anymore."

"Sharon, I'm just here to listen. I'm not trying to judge. Regardless of our past, I want you to be happy, to have a good life. Wait, he hasn't hurt you or something, has he?" Andy asked and started to get red in the face. He sat up straight in his seat, the idea making him angry.

"No," Sharon said as she put her hands on the table on top of each other and looked to Andy. She took a deep breath again, "Jack hasn't hurt me, at least not physically." She looked down and then back to Andy. He was sitting there, arms crossed and leaning on the table to listen to her. She noted that he wasn't talking; he was letting her talk now. "Jack left when the kids were young. Ricky was just a baby, and Emily was three. He'd gone off once before Ricky was born for a couple of weeks, but he came back," Sharon said as she rolled her eyes. "That was my mistake, letting him come back, although, I wouldn't have Ricky if he hadn't."

Andy nodded as he listened, "Where did he go? Still in LA?"

"No," she pursed her lips again. "The first time he ran off, he went to Reno. Deep down I knew he was probably drinking and gambling, but I let him sweet talk me with his story about a client from work. Jack has never been one who liked to take on responsibility, and I guess I continued to hope he would change. After Ricky, Jack continued to tell me he felt strapped with two kids, unable to live the life he wanted," she shook her head. "He took off, and that time, he cleaned out all our bank accounts, every dime. I had just gone back to work from maternity leave, so our expenses had greatly increased. I had day care for two, along with hospital bills still," she sighed. "It was a mess. Looking back, I was in denial he'd taken any money for the Reno disappearance, but he had. He'd cleaned out a small account for that trip, but I listened and believed him when he said he'd moved money around and had to pay some different expenses at his firm. After he left Emily, Ricky, and myself, I went through the proper channels and had legal separation papers drawn up. Had he fought that, I was prepared to go further with custody and all that, but I never heard a word from him, most likely because he would have had to come face to face with me about the money he'd taken."

"So, if that was so long ago, why in the world, Sharon, are you still married to him?" Andy sighed as he shook his head.

She pursed her lips, "It's complicated. I know I have cause with the Catholic Church this time."

Andy whipped his head up, "Oh, so this marriage, you had done in the church?"

Sharon looked away and down, as she replied, "Yes, church wedding and all, much different than ours."

"I see," he nodded. "Well, I guess it just goes to show you it doesn't necessarily matter where you get married," and then he paused and put up his hand. "I'm sorry. I won't go there now."

"Thank you," Sharon nodded. "I'm sure it's something I've already thought myself."

"So, where do things stand now? You're legally separated?" he asked.

"Yes, I have been for years. I haven't seen him in a couple years this time. The kids don't even ask anymore if he might be around or come to any of their big events. For all practical purposes, he's out of our lives. I guess I just didn't want to involve you earlier because I wanted to keep things private. As I just said, it seems odd letting your ex-husband in on the details of your current state of life. I feel like a failure. I've had two failed marriages, something I know you can relate," she sighed as she picked up her empty cup.

"Let me get us something different to drink?" he offered. "Do you have to go? I don't have plans. We can talk more if you like."

"No," she offered a small smile. "I'm free. Thank you."

Andy nodded and stood without another word and got in line again. Sharon looked around the coffee shop; the weather was worse. It was raining, and the place was almost empty. She took her time and went to the restroom. When she returned, Andy was back at the table with food for them.

"I took the liberty of getting some vegetable soup," he nodded to her. "I hope that is okay. I assume you eat it?"

"Thank you," she nodded as she sat. "It looks delicious. Can we change topics a bit?" Sharon looked to Andy, and he nodded. "Tell me how you met your ex-wife," she nodded to him, almost asking if that was an appropriate topic.

"Oh, well," he shrugged, "I was working patrol. We got a call to a local high school where there had been a pretty bad fight. This was before schools had all the resource officers like they do now. Anyway, Sandra helped to break up the fight, which," he chuckled, "if you saw her, she's petite, and there, she had just broken up a fight with high school guys. I worked with her through that, and," he shrugged, "I hadn't dated much since we-" he trailed off as Sharon just pursed her lips and nodded.

"I understand," she told him. "The choices we make," she said cryptically.

"So," Andy said as he nodded to her, "how long have you lived in LA? You know I've been her almost a year now. What about you?"

"Let me see," she paused to think, "22 years now, just over that. I guess almost 23."

Andy looked to her surprised by the answer, "Wow, really? I didn't know that long."

"Came here after we got married," she rolled her eyes. "I had to think about how long I've been married. I don't think about it much these days."

"Oh," was all Andy said, as he now realized they were back to that, to talking about Jack. "So, wait," Andy paused and then continued, "did you get married to Jack after college?"

"Hmm, yes," Sharon nodded, "which is another story that ties into the law school question I am sure you want to ask. I don't mind that conversation, but I'd prefer to not have it now. Reliving the mistakes of the past does take a toll."

"I understand," Andy nodded as he looked a bit nostalgic. "Are you happy?"

Sharon looked to him, surprise on her face, but she nodded slightly. "I know life has its ups and downs. I have chosen to make the best of the decisions in my life, so yes, I'm happy. I can say I wasn't always, but I am now. Are you happy?"

"Me?" Andy questioned. "I am. I've worked hard to get my life on track. I started dating someone before Christmas. Dating might be a little strong of a word," he rolled his eyes. "We've gone out a few times now, but nothing serious. It feels good, though, to start thinking forward. I realized I wasn't doing that in New York. I was constantly thinking of the past."

"Yet, here we are discussing the past," Sharon pointed out to him.

"True," he nodded, "but, I think some of this is catching up. We can't learn from the past if we hide from it."

Sharon let out a long sigh as she nodded in agreement. She plastered on a smile, "So, you're dating someone?"

"Going out," he nodded to her, "for now. We'll see if it turns into anything. I'm trying to be happy, Sharon. I've spent too much of my life being unhappy, as it sounds like you have too. What a mess we started when we were young."


	9. Chapter 9

The two sipped on their soup for a few minutes, and they talked of the weather. It really had turned into a dreary day, which almost made talking about their past, both together and separate, even more depressing. Andy's phone rang as they were almost done eating.

"Provenza," he nodded to Sharon. "We aren't on call, but let me take this." Sharon nodded and gestured to Andy. He answered the call.

"Provenza, what's going on today?" Andy said into the phone. Sharon continued to look around the coffee shop while she tried not to eavesdrop. "What if I don't want to see that movie?" she heard and chuckled slightly. She could tell Andy was getting irritated by the conversation. "Maybe you should spend the day with your kids and grandkids." He was quiet while Provenza obviously had more to say. "Fine," he sighed and hung up. He checked his watch. "Sorry," he turned to Sharon, "that was Provenza. I have been summoned to meet him for a movie in a half hour."

"Oh, sure," Sharon gave a small smile, "that's fine. I've taken enough of your time today, Andy. I'm glad we had the chance to talk."

"Me too," Andy nodded in agreement. "Look, Sharon, I hope you know if you need anything, I'm here to help. We might not have worked out, but I do still care about you; I want you to enjoy life. Dirt bag free, I might add," he threw a glance to her. She tried to hide a small smile that she eventually looked to him.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I want the same for you. I hope I didn't take too much of your time today," she said to him politely.

He looked to her, surprised, "Not at all. This was good," he gestured to their table where they had talked the last couple hours. I still have questions. I'm sure you do too."

"Hmm," she nodded and continued, "for another day."

"That sounds like a plan," he nodded, and as she stood to clear her side of the table, Andy stood and did the same. "Well, baseball season is about to start. Perhaps I'll see you at the field."

"Yes, perhaps," she looked to him. He opened the door to leave, and he gestured for her to move ahead of him.

"You have always had the best manners. I'm sure you passed those manners along to your children," she said to him.

He shrugged as they were looking at the weather, trying to decide when to make a dash to each of their cars. "I've tried. I haven't been the dad they should have had."

"You're still their dad, Andy, and it's not too late. Instead of running away from them and starting a new life, you picked up your life and moved for them; you ran to them. That's love," she smiled.

"Why didn't I see that all those years ago?" he asked, a sad look to his face. "I should go. Bye, Sharon," he reached over and squeezed her hand as he turned to the weather. "You okay to get to your car?"

"I'm right there," she gestured to her car. "Enjoy your movie," she smiled again. As they turned to go their separate ways, she called out again, "Andy, all those years ago, it wasn't just you," she stated. He looked to her with a curious gaze, "You weren't the only one who refused to change. I was set in my ways too. We assumed love would fix it all. It didn't, and you are working now to fix things with your kids. Your love and effort, this time will be worth it. Even now, I'm still trying to teach myself that love alone won't fix things with Jack. I also know it's a two-way street, and I firmly believe your kids love you enough that one day, even if it's not right now, they will put in the effort to mend your relationship."

"Thanks, Sharon," he nodded to her. "Be careful going home."

Sharon thought about their conversation during her drive home, and then, throughout the rest of the day, she kept going over and over it. Andy did seem happy; she was glad about that. Things with them had gone so badly years and years ago. She always wondered if he'd recovered. While she hated that he'd had another failed marriage, she knew that now he seemed stronger and ready to work on repairs in many areas of his life. She hated that his drinking had been such an issue. During their brief marriage, he'd started to drink more with his work buddies, a concern she'd brought up to him on more than one occasion. He'd waved it off each time, telling her that he didn't have a problem. On that matter, she hated that she'd been right. Truly, she didn't like being right about that. Apparently, it had grown into more than a problem; it had become an addiction, one that he now had to fight each day. She thought more and more, hoping that the demise of their marriage hadn't caused him to turn to the bottle even more. She filed that away, intent on asking him at some point in the future.

She arrived home, and Sharon took advantage of the empty house; Ricky was at the mall with his friends, and she sat on the couch. She continued to think more about Andy, about how she'd met him when she was just about Ricky's age. Oh, they were young then. Sharon hadn't dated much in high school. She'd gone on a few dates here and there, but most guys didn't like that she was strong and opinionated. She'd gone on yet another campus visit, this time taking a more in-depth look at the school. He'd shown her around the department. Andy had been so handsome then, and she had to admit he still was. He'd won her over right away with his bright smile, his sparkling eyes, and his jokes. She smiled as she sat on her couch, curled up with a pillow. Oh, he'd told her joke after joke that first day they'd met, and Sharon knew before she even finished the tour of the department that she wanted to go to school there. She'd never admitted to her parents Andy was that reason, not that the school wasn't great; it was, but Andy and his personality had won her over. She could still hear him talking to her when she left the campus that day.

 _"So, I hope you decide to come to school here," he'd flashed a huge grin at her. "Usually, my job here is pretty dull, talking to lame students who think they are going to make some huge difference in the world, but today has been a good day," he explained._

 _"I've made my decision. I want to come to school here. I think it's the right fit," she nodded._

 _"Great, so I guess I'll see you around campus?" he'd asked._

 _"I hope so," Sharon had said. "I'll be here."_

 _"Any chance I could see you before then? Could I maybe call you or something before you come to school here?" he asked with a hopeful look in his eyes._

 _"I'd really like that," she had smiled brightly to him. "Let me give you my number and address."_

Sharon closed her eyes and sat back, getting more comfortable on her couch. There were times that day seemed like yesterday; she remembered it so well. Andy had been so kind, so sweet, and his interest in Sharon had been so genuine and natural. She thought about the first time she'd met Jack and just how different the situations had been. As she compared the two, she thought about how in meeting Jack, she'd tried to go in a different direction, the opposite direction to how she'd met Andy. She'd liked Andy from the start because he'd been sweet and kind. He respected her. Jack, at least to start, had been the almost bad boy she realized now, she'd run to because things with Andy had failed. She was trying something different, and now, Sharon could see how dumb she'd been with all her relationships at that age.

 _"Did you know the fire department is on the way?" she'd heard and looked up to find a stranger looking down to her. Sharon had gone out with her friends for the evening to celebrate a friend's 21st birthday. They were all enjoying dinner and drinks in a local campus bar._

 _"I'm sorry, what?" she'd looked to him, completely confused and not sure she'd heard what he'd come to say._

 _He leaned in closer and put his hands on the table for support. He spoke toward her ear, "The fire department is on the way."_

 _"Ahh, okay, fine," she'd waved him off as she gave her friends an odd look. They were looking at him too, the four young women in a booth, all thinking this guy was strange._

 _"You're on fire," he'd flashed a smile to Sharon. "I'm sorry, but you're just drop dead gorgeous. The fire department needs to come. You're really hot."_

 _"That's your pick-up line?" she'd asked and rolled her eyes as she turned back to her friends. "No thanks." Sharon turned away from him, hoping he would go away. She could tell from the corner of her eye he'd stayed._

 _"Look, I'm trying here," he'd pleaded. "I heard my buddy use that before, and it worked for him. Can we start again? Name is Jack," he offered his hand to her to greet her. "I know I might have sounded stupid there, but I'd really like to get to know you. I should have known a bad line like that wouldn't work on a knock-out like you."_

Sharon just sat, eyes closed on her couch and thought about two men she'd married. She was glad her own kids seemed to have a better insight about relationships. She had to admit she was worried they might never have a healthy relationship, not after seeing the mess she and Jack had created over the last two decades. She sighed, thinking about what a mess if would be if either of her own kids had run off and married like she had. Oh, she knew she'd put her parents through so much, yet they still loved her. The phone pulled her from her thoughts, and she smiled when, as she answered it, she heard Emily's voice on the other end. Already, at her age, Emily was doing a better job of being an adult than Sharon had. Sharon just hoped that her own children wouldn't have to deal with the heartache she was still reliving every single day.


	10. Chapter 10

Sharon watched his hand as he signed the paperwork. She focused on his hand, still able to remember what it felt like to hold that hand in hers. It had been decades ago now that she'd held that hand. She noted is signature; it was still the same as it had been when they were young. Before he caught her staring, she looked up toward him and waited.

"There, that should be the last signature, right?" he asked. He was sitting in Sharon's office and had just finished signing several reports for her.

"Yes, that's it," she nodded as she reached out to retrieve the paperwork from him. "Thank you for coming up here to sign everything."

"Sure," he smiled slightly. "I know you made a trip to my floor to collect signatures. It just seemed like the right thing to do, that is to come up here, since you missed me earlier." Sharon nodded. They had just finished a case. It had been an officer-involved shooting; thus, Sharon and Andy's divisions were both involved in the case. She'd done her paperwork and cleared the officer, while Andy's division had been able to get the killer to confess. He had been in with the suspect when Sharon started collecting signatures. She had thought about waiting for his, but the team told Sharon the Andy in with the suspect as he wrote out his statement. Now, almost three hours later, Andy was here, sitting in front of her desk.

"Well, I'm just glad this case wrapped up so easily. They aren't all this easy," Sharon stated, and Andy nodded as he looked around her office.

"Yeah, personally, I'd really appreciate it if dirt bags would kill each other during business hours. This middle of the night stuff gets old," he joked as he turned toward Sharon and flashed a smile.

"Hmm, indeed," she nodded. "Still, you can see that FID isn't always out to get other cops."

"Maybe this time," he said in a slightly joking tone. He shrugged toward Sharon, and she picked up on his joking tone.

"Any plans for the weekend now that you have a weekend?" she asked, as she started to flip through his paperwork to make sure the pages were in order. It was Friday afternoon, and almost three weeks had passed since they had met at the coffee shop.

"Just little things," he gestured. "I'm taking Kelly to dinner and a movie tomorrow, which of course, had been case dependent." Sharon gave him an odd look, and he gestured with one hand as he clarified, "Oh, she's the woman I told you about when we met for coffee. We've gone out a few more times, but honestly, it's been so hard with work. I am not sure if we've made it through a full evening date without me getting a work call. Things have been really busy."

"Ahh, yes," Sharon nodded. "I know what you mean. I've been just as busy. The other day, I made a rather large trip to the grocery store where I spent almost $300. Poor Ricky," she chuckled. "He'd taken pictures of just how bare the cabinets had gotten and even asked if I wanted him to go to the store. Needless to say, I restocked with the promise to never let it get that empty again."

Andy smiled and started to chuckle. "You know, I've decided I need to pair up Nate and Provenza on dinner outings. Provenza likes those all-you-can-eat buffet places, and Nate is eating everything in sight. I've been trying to have dinner with him a couple times a week, and I never seem to make enough food. I think it's their ages. Hopefully, they will level off soon. As far as Provenza and his eating habits," Andy flashed a grin, "I have no explanation for that."

"I'm hoping so," Sharon smiled as she laughed at his comment about Provenza. "Ricky eats four meals a day now, not including snacks."

Andy nodded, "Nate too."

"Is he looking forward to baseball season again?" she asked, glad they could talk easily.

"He was," Andy sighed. "He tore something in his shoulder. They've been doing a lot of conditioning, and he mainly plays center field. With whatever he's torn, he can't throw right now. Doc says he needs physical therapy and should sit out. So," Andy let out a long breath, "he starts physical therapy next week. He's really frustrated about the season. His shoulder is killing him, which he won't admit. He's just angry about the season. I hate it for him, but I told him it could be worse. He could need surgery, but doc doesn't think it warrants it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sharon frowned. "That is unfortunate. Knowing how much Ricky enjoys baseball, I'm sure Nate is quite upset. I do hope physical therapy helps."

"Me too," Andy nodded. "I know when my old partner got shot in the leg, physical therapy did wonders. It's just a long process."

"Yes, it is," Sharon nodded in agreement. "Any idea on how long he has to see the physical therapist?"

"Well, not exactly," Andy told her. "Doc said that during the initial consult, the physical therapist would check on Nate's range of motion and recommend a plan. I expect to know more next week after his first appointment."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I know Ricky would be devastated in the same situation. Hopefully, he can find something else to focus on for the spring," Sharon offered.

Andy rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that's actually what I'm worried about right now, his mom too. He's got this girlfriend, and we both wanted him playing more baseball and around her less. I don't have to tell you about the influence the high school romance can have on things."

Sharon blushed slight, "Ahh, no," she looked to her packet. "Hopefully, he will come to his senses," she offered more. "I don't want to keep you, Andy. You've worked round the clock for two days. Go, enjoy your weekend," she gestured to him. "I'm going to get this paperwork filed so I can get out of here at a reasonable hour."

Andy stood and nodded, "That wasn't too bad," he said, his vague statement catching Sharon off guard. She looked to him with a questioning gaze. "You know, "he shrugged, "working the case with you. We got through it okay."

"We did," Sharon nodded. "As I said, you can't believe the rumors that I'm just an ice cold, well," she stopped herself. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors. Honestly, I wouldn't put it by Jack to have started most of them."

Andy was listening as he stepped toward the door. He looked back to Sharon as she spoke of Jack. Sharon took a deep breath, as if even just mentioning Jack caused her to get irritated. "I don't think that, Sharon," he told her. "Even after all these years, I don't think that. Rumors around a building don't sway what I know about you." He offered a small smile as he put his hand on the door. "Enjoy your weekend, Sharon."

She nodded, and before she realized it, she blurted out, "He might not be all wrong." Andy turned and looked to her, surprise on his face she'd even think rumors about her would be true. "Jack might be right. He called me many things, nasty things, but in a way, I can't blame him. He told me on many occasions through the years that he felt like he was still competing with you," she shrugged as she looked away from Andy. "Apparently, I talk a lot in my sleep, and I would dream of conversations with you. Normal conversations. Jack said that he always felt like he always came in second. I didn't try to do that, but my mind may have had other ideas, especially when I was dreaming."

Andy opened his mouth to speak, but then he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," she stood and met his gaze. "I shouldn't have said that. If Jack had not told me over the years, I wouldn't have known myself. It was always while I was dreaming. So, in a way, I can't blame him for leaving. He thought I was always thinking of you. I don't know why I keep talking. I'm going to stop now, but I want you to know I'm fine. I know we've both moved on from what we had decades ago."

Andy just listened and nodded. He turned again, and as he opened the door, he turned back to Sharon. He shrugged slightly, "Sandra said I did the same thing. I don't know if it's something people do when they have had multiple loves. I'm glad we're becoming friends again, Sharon." He nodded to her and walked out, closing her door quietly.

Sharon looked around and sat slowly, as she thought about their conversation. Why in the world had she told him all that? She'd just opened her mouth and let everything pour out of it. She didn't feel better; in fact, she now felt self-conscious. She hadn't shared that with anyone, but as she thought about it, it made sense she'd share it with the person in her dreams. Still, it had been a major point of contention with Jack, and she couldn't blame him. She would have been mad had he mentioned other women. It didn't excuse his behavior at all; he'd left the kids and Sharon. Yes, she'd been married before, and yes, Jack knew that. Her dreams had been just that, dreams, and while she knew it was painful for Jack, it didn't excuse his behavior. The two had argued about it over the years, but she'd been faithful to Jack. He, in turn, had not, and she knew that from his current life in Vegas. Andy had the same problem, apparently, as he'd admitted, talking in his sleep. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. All she knew was that their marriage had been short, but the effects lasting. As she picked up her pen to get back to work, she sighed, hoping she had not opened a can of worms with Andy. Just when they were finally becoming friends, she'd made things awkward again.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm not Catholic; I'm Protestant, but I did some research. So, please note that regarding Sharon's discussion here.**

* * *

"Thank you for seeing me this afternoon, Father," Sharon smiled as she shook his hand. He returned the greeting and smiled warmly at Sharon.

"I'm always happy to talk, Sharon. It's been awhile, but I could tell from your voice, you sounded like you needed some guidance," he gestured to the couch in his office for Sharon to sit. She moved to it, and he moved to the arm chair near her to sit as well.

"I know you are busy, especially on a Sunday, but I appreciate you finding the time," Sharon told him as she made herself comfortable.

"Part of the job," he gestured with his hand. "Now, what would you like to discuss today?"

"Well," she said as she took a deep breath, "I'm not sure if you are aware, but I was married when I was very young, 18 to be exact," she rolled her eyes. "Yes, it was one of those impulse, certain we were in love situations."

"I didn't know," he frowned slightly. "You had it annulled? I know you've said you and Jack had a traditional Catholic wedding."

"No," she now frowned. "We didn't get married in the Catholic Church to start. I was naïve and didn't realize all the regulations at the time. I thought marriage was marriage and didn't investigate that before I got married. We eloped and were married by a justice of the peace. I was in for a rude awakening when we finally told our families and found out that it was viewed invalid by the church. Now, at the time, I was stubborn and refused to have it formalized in the Catholic Church. So, when we divorced, it wasn't a problem, at least in the church's eye because it hadn't been valid to begin with at the time. I did complete paperwork before I married Jack to make sure everything was done correctly. My first marriage was short, and we didn't have any children."

"Okay," he nodded. "While I'm never glad to hear about a divorce, I'm here to listen right now. Go on," he gestured.

"Well, as you know, I seem to have stellar marriage judgement," she sighed as she shook her head. "Jack is still off living in Vegas, as you know. I am still committed to that marriage, even if he's not. I don't know why, though," she shook her head again.

"Sharon, I've told you that while again, I don't want to encourage divorce, that he has abandoned you, and that does help your case," he explained.

"I know," she nodded as she looked away from him. "I'm not here for that. I'm not ready to deal with that, with Jack. I'm not sure I ever will be ready to face another failed marriage. I am here today to discuss my first marriage."

"Oh?" he asked. "What about that? You said it was years ago, correct?"

"Yes, and I hadn't seen him for over 20 years, but I ran into him almost a year ago now," she explained.

The priest nodded as he looked back to Sharon, "And, since then?"

"Since then, I've discovered he's moved to the West Coast, here in LA to be exact. We knew each other and were married in New York during some of my college years. We ran into each other last spring and discovered our sons both play baseball. What's even more ironic is that we discovered we both work for the LAPD," she explained.

"Oh?" he asked, now surprised and intrigued. He sat forward in his seat to change his position, "So, are things strained? Is it a problem at work?"

Sharon pursed her lips, "I'm not sure. No, I mean, it's not a problem at work. I was terrified to talk to him and then let out the tidbit that we work in the same building. He had no idea I'd gone into law enforcement. When we were married, I had plans to go to law school. A lot about my life surprised him. A lot about his life surprised me. Over the course of the last several months, I feel we have both been trying to put the past behind us, and that's why I'm here."

He nodded, "What are you wanting from that? You're here for some reason. Are you wanting to rekindle things with him again knowing you are married? Why are you here? That's probably the first question you should ask yourself."

"I'm wanting to get along with him, to I guess, be friends. We work together. He's a lieutenant in Robbery/Homicide, and my division handles cases with them often. No, I'm not looking to start some romance. I have a Jack," she sighed.

"So, what troubles you today?" he asked.

"I'm not sure whether to go over the past with him or almost hide it. Do I talk to him more and get things in the open, or do we just bury the past?" she asked.

"I can't answer that, at least to give you the perfect answer. You need to look inside yourself and figure out what will bring you peace. Is it better to bury things and move on as you said, or is it better to address some issues? If things affect your work situation, yes, you should address them. Other than that, you need to look inside yourself."

"Andy is part of the reason my marriage to Jack has been such a disaster. I don't think I ever got over Andy, and I know I jumped into my marriage with Jack to try to prove to everyone I'd moved on. Now, since I've been married to Jack, I've tried to be a good wife, and I haven't looked back to Andy. Jack and I moved to a different part of the country, but Jack told me over the years I'd dream of Andy and call out to him when I slept. No man, no woman, even, wants to hear their spouse call out the name of a past love."

"Well, while I can't speak from experience," he gave a small smile, "I would agree with you on that. How old were you when you and Andy got married?"

"18," she told him. "We met when I was 17 on a tour at his college, and that became my college. He was a student there already, and he took me around the department." Sharon paused and smiled at the memory. "It was my senior year of high school. My parents weren't keen on dating a college student, so Andy and I tried to be discreet. It was one of those whirlwind romances, and by the spring, we were deeply in love, so we thought. I didn't even take him to prom because college students weren't allowed to attend. I told my parents I was going with friends, got dressed up, and all. Andy met me at the restaurant, and we had our own prom meal, even if we couldn't go to prom. He asked me to marry him then, which now sounds so stupid," she sighed. "I was in love," she shrugged as she looked to the priest. "He was too. We didn't see anything wrong with it. People asked why we rushed later on when they found out about it, and I can only say I was trying to be a good Catholic. I hadn't slept with him, and he had respected that. He was Catholic too. He also could use it, our marriage, for his financial aid package, which again, sounds so stupid. My parents were financing everything for college, and they had no intention for me to get married that young. So, I said yes to Andy. I thought it would be forever. We ran off that night," she smiled at the memory again. "I felt badly about lying to my parents, but I knew they would never approve. We'd already had our arguments about Andy over the year. Things had started innocently enough, taking me to dinner and a movie. I had him over for dinner, and my parents met him. They seemed to like him fine when we were getting to know each other, but as that fall progressed, and they could see that Andy and I were more serious than they liked, we started to argue about him. They told me I couldn't date him, which again, I know was not the brightest decision on any of our parts. They told me to even look at a different college because they were worried about things getting serious with Andy at college where they couldn't keep an eye on me 24 hours a day. So, Andy and I dated that year in secret. My friends kept my secret, and I guess that is why when he asked me to marry him, it sounded right. It was forbidden. We were in love, and I was doing what I wanted. For once, I was taking charge of my life because, of course, I didn't think my parents knew what they were talking about regarding my life. I'd turned 18 just a few weeks before prom, so we ran off that night. We drove into the city that night, and we just thought we were so romantic. I hadn't even met Andy's parents yet, because, remember, we were sneaking around while he was in college. He'd just finished his semester and had an internship lined up that summer. We knew we didn't have a lot of time, and I suppose we were worried what the distance apart that summer would do. So, we eloped," she took a deep breath as she looked to the priest. His expression hadn't changed; he was in listening mode. "My parents thought I was staying with friends all night for prom, so I had that worked out. Honestly," she laughed, "I hadn't thought about getting married going into the evening, but it sounded right. There we both were, dressed up for the night, so we got married. Andy worked all through college, so he'd been saving his money to buy me a ring. It wasn't anything glamorous; it was perfect. I didn't need glamorous, just Andy. We found a wedding chapel, got married, and we stayed in the city. Our honeymoon was one night in New York City," she smiled at the memory. "He had found a very nice hotel for us, and we enjoyed every minute. We talked about telling my parents, and that is where we didn't know what to do. We were afraid they would demand an annulment, and as I said, I didn't know much about the regulations of the church. So, we decided not to tell them, at least right away. We had honored my beliefs from the church and decided to keep our wedding between us. Andy used the information for school, but when I went home that next day, I said nothing."

"You hid your wedding from your parents?" the priest asked, now visibly surprised. "I must say, Sharon, that surprises me. You have changed then over the years."

"Yes," she nodded slightly as she pursed her lips, "I've changed. I can't believe it now, looking back. I've grown so much."

"Growth will do that, put things in perspective," he agreed. "When did you tell your parents?"

Sharon looked to him, "Thanksgiving," she sighed. "We couldn't do it any longer. We wanted to be together; we were married after all. With the holidays approaching, we knew we wanted to spend time together. We wanted to meet both families. You must understand that after we got married, Andy went to the city for his internship. I didn't see him much that summer. He came to my high school graduation, but even then, my parents didn't see him. It doesn't make sense, I know," she paused. "We were young and stupid. I didn't see Andy that much that summer. We spoke on the phone, but I really only was able to see him when school started. We didn't even consider married student housing until after the semester had started, and we certainly hadn't put any thought into things such as insurance, finances, and the like. My parents were so excited for me to start college as what they thought, a single young woman. They moved me into my dorm, met my roommate, and all that. I told my roommate and friends before my parents. By Thanksgiving, we had come up with our plan. We wanted to tell our parents and move into married student housing for the spring."

"How did that go?" he asked.

"How do you think?" Sharon chuckled as she rolled her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Sharon finished shaking her head and turned her attention back toward the priest, "Well, it didn't go well, if that is what you could gather from my reaction. Our families were not happy to hear we'd gotten married."

"Which family did you tell first?" he asked.

"My family," Sharon nodded as she cleared her throat to speak. "We told my parents. Andy's family had plans for their huge Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. It's been a long time, but something about his dad having to work overnight into Thanksgiving, and then something similar about his sister having to work on Friday morning pushed the dinner to the weekend. There were a lot of moving pieces, but the bottom line was that his family had decided to do their big family dinner on Saturday. That actually worked for us; we were going to tell my family on Thanksgiving and then spend the weekend with his family."

"Go on," he encouraged her.

"Well, looking back, I'm not sure Andy and I handled things well. We were in love, and we wanted everyone to accept that. We also didn't think things through exactly as we should, and I know we put a lot on our families with our announcement. Andy and I arrived at my home together, that Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. We had classes that day, and I had told my parents I had a ride home from college. They were shocked to see him; honestly, I hadn't mentioned him in so long, almost a year, and they thought he and I had gone our separate ways. I was the naïve girl who just paraded him into the house and announced we were married," she explained.

"I take it your mother and father were upset?" he asked.

Sharon nodded, "Very. In fact, they thought we'd gone off that day and gotten married. Both my mother and father started saying we could get it annulled; it was still early, and we could go that route. Andy and I had brought our marriage certificate so we could prove to them we had gotten married back in May, and we had no plans to dissolve of our marriage. Oh, my parents were furious. It ruined Thanksgiving. It got even worse when my father tried to tell Andy he couldn't stay at the house. I politely reminded him we were married and where Andy went, I went. That didn't sit well with my father, but he finally agreed to let him stay. I know I didn't help when I all but shouted out that we rarely got to stay together due to our currently living situations, and we were not going to be kept apart for the holiday weekend."

The priest grimaced, and Sharon nodded, "Yes, I know. I didn't mean to give my parents a visual or a set of thoughts about staying with Andy, but it slipped out in our heated argument. In the end, he was allowed to stay, but it really strained things with my parents. They continued to try and talk to me, but I wouldn't listen. We were all stubborn. I even told my parents about our plans, that we wanted to live in married student housing for the spring semester, and that didn't go over well either. We argued about that, but in the end, they couldn't disagree that Andy and I were married. My father threatened to cut off my school housing, and Andy even stood up to him. Andy was getting ready to graduate and told my father he'd made it through college with a work-study program, and that he would provide for me no matter what. I believe my mom spoke to my father later because in the end, they did pay for our housing. They didn't like what I had done at all, but they didn't completely turn their back on me. They were good parents even though I really threw them for a loop with my decisions. Our relationship never really recovered, though."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but it does sound like you have learned from the mistakes of your past. How are things now?" he asked.

"With my parents?" she inquired. "They are okay. It's been a long time. They weren't surprised when Andy and I got divorced, but then I had to go and marry Jack right away. They tried to talk me out of that, but by then, they were seeing I wasn't going to listen. At least that time, I did it correctly with a church wedding, and since then, we've tried to move on from it. They have refrained from the 'I told you so' type of comments about Jack, and honestly, it's been hard to admit Jack left the kids and me. I have, though, grown up quite a bit, and I have accepted my decisions and mistakes. My parents were always great with the kids; they adore their grandchildren, but I know they wish I had made better decisions in life. My marriages are just part of that. My job, that is another part."

"I must say that it sounds like we could sit here for hours, but let's focus on why you came-Andy. Did his family treat you better when you told them?" he asked.

"No," she pursed her lips, "it was different. They were upset I wasn't Italian," she chuckled. "They all kept hitting Andy upside the head for being, what they called, an idiot, for running off and getting married. I did hear some of his male relatives later telling him at least I was hot," she rolled her eyes. "Andy told me they'd said that and more. His family was a little better than mine, but they still weren't happy. The fact I wasn't Italian was more of an issue. They also started in on us right away about having children. That was a sticking point, and it became an argument right away."

"Had you two not discussed that before?" he asked.

"A little," Sharon nodded, "but, I had told Andy I didn't want kids at all. He kept saying we were young and in 10 years I would change my mind. I was adamant about it. I told him I wanted to be a lawyer, and I didn't see a life with a family. I had career plans, and he was looking at the police force by then. I wasn't thrilled with that, but I used that too, that I didn't want kids growing up with a lawyer mom who was gone all the time and a cop dad who could be killed in the line of duty. Both jobs were going to require a lot of time and effort. His family bringing it up, expecting kids before the next Thanksgiving, basically," she shook her head, "was an issue."

"So, it sounds like you thought about the fun parts of marriage, but not the real parts?" he asked.

"Yes, exactly," Sharon said. "We did move in together that spring semester. Andy started talking about the police academy, and then we started trying to figure out where he would do that, where we would live. He wanted to go to the city, New York, to be exact. I knew that would take him from me, so I wanted him to get his training in a smaller town locally. We were in love, and the idea of sending him off, well, I hated it. It got so bad that he told me he was never leaving New York. He wanted to be a detective in New York City, and I couldn't change his mind. Oh, we fought," she sighed.

"So, things didn't go as planned?" he asked.

"I don't want it to sound all bad. We had love and passion," she smiled as she blushed. She looked away and composed herself before she continued, "That spring, a lot of it, we were happy. From what I knew, Andy was going to try and stay with me to go to the local police academy. Well, he neglected to tell me he'd applied to New York as well. Here, I thought we would stay together at school. I would finish my degree, and he'd get his police training. It wasn't until graduation that spring when he told me he'd gotten into New York's program."

"How did that go?" the priest asked.

"We argued," Sharon said. "He'd researched other schools, suggesting I even transfer. I didn't want to transfer. I was getting into my program. Just as he didn't want to give up on what he wanted, neither did I. Money was starting to be an issue, but that got a little better when he started his job, ironically," she sighed. "Then, he started in on kids again. He was getting pressure from his family about kids, and his mom was in poor health. We argued about that. He wasn't even stuck on having them right then, but he'd come up with a plan to try and have a baby when I graduated. In his eyes, if we had a baby when I finished, I could still go to law school that fall. Stupid, I know," she sighed. "He suggested we put the baby in day care at his job, and I go to school. I still didn't want kids. I didn't want that life. Plus, at the time, I was 19. He wanted to have a baby by the time I was 22. It seemed rushed, which is ironic since we rushed into our marriage. He persisted, suggesting that we could have one when I graduated at 22 and then another at the end of my second year so that by the time I graduated from law school, we could have our family and careers. I really didn't want to do that. Then, he completely shifted ideas and suggested we have a baby then, when I was still 19, suggesting that if I transferred to the city for school, I could take off a semester between everything, have a baby, and again, we could put the baby in day care or have his family help. I just couldn't get him off the idea of a baby."

"Is that what ended things?" he asked. "You two couldn't agree on that?"

"No," Sharon sighed. "It was certainly part of it. In the end, he said he could even do without kids if that was what I wanted. He was willing to concede on that, but I knew he really wanted a family. It just wasn't enough. Our marriage was broken, but I'm not sure if it was ever completely unified. We made many mistakes, and we didn't talk through things before we got married like we should have. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that until much later."

"So, what was the final straw?" he asked.

Sharon paused as she thought, "There wasn't any one thing. It wasn't a case of infidelity or anything like that. It was a string of bad choices on both parts. Andy took his job at the academy like he wanted. I moved back into the dorms with a friend that second year. Andy went off to New York, and I saw him only on weekends. He paid for a train ticket for me to come and see him almost every weekend. It wasn't the same; we weren't the same. As he got more and more settled with his job, I started to pull away. I wanted to travel, and I wanted to go somewhere other than New York for law school. He didn't want to leave New York, suggesting there were many good schools there. And, there are good schools there, but I wanted to go somewhere new. I begged him to consider moving, transferring. I was even almost over the fact he'd taken the job he wanted without telling me. I think in the end, we wanted different things. We wanted different lives. We decided to divorce by the end of my second year. It wasn't working, and we were both tired. I was worried about my grades slipping, and he was worried about performing well on the job. He wanted to stay, and I wanted to go anywhere else. He started drinking after work, and that concerned me. Anytime I called, because remember, we were living in different places, he was out with the guys. I would be lucky to get a call at night, and often, it came in the middle of the night when he was getting in from drinking. We grew apart, and I realized I had missed out on a lot of college. We separated, and then we divorced quickly. The passion we had left when real life hit us in the face. The decision was maybe a bit easier to make when I realized that the church didn't even recognize our marriage. Everything felt fake."

"I'm sorry to hear all that, Sharon. It sounds like a rough few years," he added.

"It was," Sharon nodded, "and, yet, I was stupid to marry Jack just a couple years later."

"While that is another issue," he agreed, "why are you here about Andy now?"

Sharon looked to him, her face saddened, and her expression strained, "I'm not sure, if I have to be honest. I was truthful when I said I want to know how to get along with him at work. I guess, I mean, I think we are doing a decent job of being civil. I'm sorry; I'm a mess, and I'm not sure if I know why I came. I guess I wanted someone to listen, and I'm sorry if I've put you in the middle of my mess."

"Sharon," he frowned, "do not apologize. I am here for you. I do want to help if I can."

"What I said earlier, about everything feeling fake," she started to say and stopped.

"Yes?" he asked.

"As we were ending our marriage, everything did feel fake. It felt like a bad dream. We made plenty of mistakes; I know that, and I am guessing Andy does as well. We both want to be the adults now we should have been then. We are civil, and after I got over the initial shock of seeing him, I started to think about our past. Father, I know I'm married to Jack. I'm accepting that as it is. At this point, though, I have trouble seeing my marriage to Andy as a mistake, as fake. I think it's taken me over 20 years to realize it, but I did love him. I still do, at least in some ways," she acknowledged. "I'm not saying that to rekindle anything, but I think we have unfinished business. We ended things by signing papers and going our separate ways. I think I need him to know what he meant to me then because we didn't end on some loving note. I believe I came here, in a way, to seek permission. Father, is it acceptable to tell a man I used to love, a man to whom I was married, that our past wasn't a mistake? It is fair to tell him that I care about him now, not that I'm suggesting anything? I mean, I don't even know what I want to say to him," she exclaimed. "I'm a mess, and I'm not sure why I'm here. I know I'm a married woman who apparently still gets weak in the knees at the sight of her ex-husband."

"Sharon," he sighed, as he shook his head. "I'm not sure where to begin."


	13. Chapter 13

Sharon caught up with Ricky for dinner after her long session with her priest. She didn't realize just how hungry she was until the two sat to eat at the house. They had gone for breakfast after Mass earlier in morning, and then she'd spent most of her afternoon with the priest. Sharon had come home and mindlessly gone through the motions in the kitchen, finally putting together soup and salad. She and Ricky carried on a light conversation while they ate. He had spent the afternoon with his friends playing video games. She tried to focus on what he told her, but her mind kept wandering. It was much later, after he had gone to bed, that she curled up on her bed with her pen and paper. She sat back against her pillows and looked at the blank paper. She wasn't sure what to write, which was part of the problem. Looking back to the day, she wasn't sure why she'd gone to speak to her priest. It had helped, or so it had seemed, but she was still pouring through thoughts from her past. What did she want? She thought for a few moments before she began writing.

 _Dear Andy,_

 _I've come to the conclusion I need to sit and write this letter. I'm not sure why, but my priest thought it would help. Yes, I've sought his guidance. I'm not sure if it will even make sense, but here it goes. Seeing you almost a year ago rattled me, and it still does even today. It rattled me because I truly didn't expect to see you again, and it brought up a lot of unresolved thoughts, at least they are unresolved to me. I know we've talked some since then, but I haven't been able to express what I wanted to say. Here it goes…_

 _I do believe we got married too young. While I regret that, I don't regret you in my life. I often think about the 'what if' scenarios that could have played out with us. I don't think any would have turned out well, and many might have us hating each other. I don't hate you; I never did. I was hurt, and I realized I was stupid. Young love. It's a blinding thing for many reasons. I often wonder what if we'd stayed married. I don't think that would have turned out well at all. I do think we would have grown even more apart, resented each other, and possibly even hated each other. I am glad that didn't happen. I don't hate you and have always wanted the best for you, whatever that is._

 _I've thought about what if we hadn't gotten married situation too, and I have come to conclude that we would have broken up at some point, both maybe regretful for any sort of steps our relationship might have taken, physical or emotional. I think I might have resented our dating if we'd gone against my beliefs and hurt each other even more if we'd emotionally invested in each other only to break up. I've thought long and hard about why we were any different than any young romance, why it might have hurt more than I can imagine had we not gotten married, even though that hurt a lot too, and I have concluded that I truly loved you. I loved you with everything I had, and I can't be regretful of that._

 _For all of that, I do believe we possibly took the best course of action. Did it hurt us?-Yes, definitely. It shaped who we are and shaped our futures. Did it hurt our family?-Yes, it did, and I know my family relationship has been strained since. Would I change it?-No. That is what I wanted to write you to tell you. Even after all these years, NO. NO, NO, NO. I wouldn't change it. Our paths crossed for a reason. You were my first love. Yes, we messed up, but I wouldn't be where I am or who I am today without you. We did cause each other heartache, but looking at the situation from all angles, we were bound to cause heartache no matter the path we chose. I look back and am glad we were married. It wasn't a mistake; it wasn't fake._

 _Sometimes, I think about our marriage, how young and in love we were. Young romances can cause such heartache; ours did cause heartache. I've concluded we met at the wrong time; we met too early where our lives were bound to pull us in different directions. Our lives did pull us in different directions, and yet, here we are. It's well over 20 years later, and we work in the same building, with just a couple floors separating us, almost 3,000 miles from where we started everything. We both work in law enforcement, and we both have two children. All the problems of years ago, all the discussions and arguments, seem so silly now considering just how similar our lives have been._

 _Our life together would not have had this happy ending, I do realize. We needed to go our own ways, and I often wonder if we'd met just even five years later if we would have made it. We might have been successful, but we were each too stubborn to change. We were young and ready to conquer the world. The problem was we didn't want to do it together._

 _Yes, after we got divorced at the end of my sophomore year, I threw myself into school. As you know, I had plans to go to law school. I did, at least, I started. I met Jack during Christmas break of my junior year. Oh, that was a depressing Christmas. I almost picked up the phone many, many times to call you. Instead, I buried myself in law school studies. I ended up spending a great deal of time that break at the bookstore and the library studying. I wanted to do well on my LSAT exam, and honestly, I was trying to hide from the emotional wreck I knew I was. My parents saw it too; they saw my withdrawn behavior. We never discussed it, but they saw it. I met Jack at the bookstore, actually a bookstore a few towns over. I'd gone for a drive that day, and somehow, I ended up in a bookstore. He found me sitting on the floor going through a pile of books, trying to figure out which ones to buy. I wasn't looking for anyone; I wasn't interested in anyone, mostly because I was still thinking of you. Jack was kind then, which is ironic because we realized then that he had tried to hit on me at a bar when I was out with my friends. He'd tried to charm me then, but I had resisted. I wasn't interested in a guy with a bad pick-up line, but something was different when we met again at the bookstore. He sat down on that bookstore floor and helped me. He'd taken the LSAT twice already, so he was a great help to me. I ended up buying the three books he recommended, and we walked down the street for coffee. He didn't go to college with us; Jack was home from out of state. He was going to school in Connecticut, but we promised to keep in touch after that._

 _Jack and I did keep in touch. Well, that should be obvious. He called me in early January after I'd gone back to school. I remember my roommate eyeing me with that phone call. We started talking on the phone every week, but it wasn't what everyone thought, at least at first. He helped me study. We would work on a few pages a call, knowing how expensive it was then to make calls. Cell phone would have made a big difference back then. I was one of his first calls after he got into law school. We talked all spring, and then, after he graduated he was home for the summer before he moved. Jack lived about an hour away from me, and I took my LSAT that summer. He took me out to celebrate my finishing the exam, which I suppose was really our first date. We dated some that summer, but I was hesitant to get serious about him or really anyone after what you and I had been through the past few years. Looking back, I'm sure some might say I was desperate to have a man around. I don't see it that way; I was doing just fine on my own, but what I thought was the right guy kept showing up. You showed up, just when I was fine with the idea of being an independent college student. Jack showed up when I was getting over you and fine with my independence again, preparing for law school._

 _Jack moved away after that summer, moving to California for law school, here in the LA area to be exact. He'd wanted to go to Stanford, his own father's alma mater, but he didn't get into law school there. He got into school in LA, and I suppose that was one of the things I found very attractive about Jack; he was adventurous and wanted to start a life out here. I wanted that too, as you know, one of the main reasons we had issues. He ended up getting an internship here in LA too, so he moved out here, and I went back to school. Jack keep calling, and we continued to talk. We were dating, I suppose. Actually, that's not true; I knew we were dating. There was no mystery to it, but it's hard to date when you live so far apart. I guess at that time, Jack didn't want to see anyone else, and I didn't either. Maybe dating him was a way of hiding from anyone locally, but we continued that school year. He came home for Christmas, and we spent a lot of time together. I brought him to meet my family, and they weren't thrilled I had a new man in my life. They were cautious to say anything, as they have learned over the year I don't listen._

 _I made plans to fly out and visit Jack and law schools after Christmas. I fell in love with the area, and I think my judgement was clouded, as I joined my love for the area with my love for Jack. Looking back, I think I wanted both, but I know now that Jack simply became my love because he seemed to represent everything I wanted. I loved the area, the school, and I believed I loved Jack. I sold myself on the location, and I believe on Jack. Jack and I talked more and more. Back then, as you know, people didn't always date for years. Knowing I had already been married, Jack and I talked a lot about our future. He knew I wouldn't just move in with him; people got married then, and I believe in my faith too. I flew back out after I graduated in May to look for housing. Jack proposed to me then, and we decided to get married that Christmas. I've always loved Christmas, and we felt the timing would work out with school. I ended up getting housing near campus, a tiny place, but I had a roommate. It worked because her lease went until the end of the calendar year._

 _It was a short summer. I wasn't home long, but while I was home, I made all the wedding plans. Jack and I had not spent much time really together; most of our dating had been long distance, so when I moved out there in August that year, we really started to get to know each other. I quickly found that law school wasn't what I expected. I could do the work just fine, but I seemed to be on the wrong side of the law. I found myself questioning a lot, wondering why the detectives did x, y, and z in a case. At first, I thought it was all the change-new school, new place, Jack, but I realized I wasn't doing the part of the law I wanted to be doing. I would start thinking back to cases you had told me about, and I realized that's what I wanted; I wanted to investigate, not prosecute. Jack was supportive, and he suggested I take a semester off. I started looking at the police academy, and Jack did point out it would help our finances. So, we talked. We discussed my going to the academy while he finished school. Then, if I still wanted to go to law school, I could finish. That became our plan. I finished that first semester, 4.0 GPA and all, but my heart just wasn't in it. I knew my parents were disappointed, but honestly, I am not sure I made them happy from ages 17-25, if not longer._

 _Jack and I had a Christmas wedding at home, in the church. We returned to LA, where he went back to school, and I started with the academy. Once it became clear in the fall that I wasn't enjoying law school, I applied to the academy, and I started shortly after the new year. Things went well for the first year at least. Jack finished his second year of school; I finished at the academy, and it looked like we were off to a good start. It felt like the right area of law, but I still kept law school as a possibility. I had scored much higher on the LSAT than Jack, and I enjoyed helping him study. At the end of the day, I preferred the training I was getting through the academy, and it was then I started to feel guilty for trying to guide your path when we had been married._

 _Shortly after Jack finished law school, he got a job at a local firm and began studying for the bar. One of the questions you have had since we ran into each other last year was about my kids. I responded to a call one night on duty. As a new patrol officer, I got one of the late shifts to start. My partner and I had been called out on a domestic call. We found the husband had killed the wife and four children. Something hit me hard with that case. I can't explain it, but it hit me hard. As you know, I hadn't wanted kids, but that case changed me. Jack had been fine with the no kid issue; we had talked about it, and he didn't mind. It took me a couple weeks to process that case, and then I went to Jack and told him I wanted to have a baby. Still, today, I don't know what it was, but I can still see that case. Maybe it was being a young patrol officer who still was naïve enough to think I could help everyone; I don't know. Jack really didn't care either way; he was busy with work, but we talked about it. I knew I would want to work, and with two incomes, even in LA, we knew it could work._

 _So, we had Emily. I loved her from the moment I found out I was pregnant and cursed myself for ever saying I would never have children. You were right; I did change my mind, but as you know, no one can change my mind for me. Jack got more involved in work, which was to be expected, but he also started hanging out at the bar more and more. He loved Emily, but he didn't want to be a dad. He wanted to be a popular guy, a guy out for a good time. I've often wondered if I did to Jack what you had tried to do with me about kids. I don't think it was the same. Jack truly didn't care about having kids. He wasn't against it, but I can say now, he wasn't ready to come home to a happy family each night. Ricky came along later as more of a surprise, a welcome one to me, but by then Jack was drinking more and home much less. He took off not long after, and I believe the idea of having a family was more than he wanted. He wanted prestigious cases, fame, parties, and in the end, he didn't want Emily, Ricky, or me._

 _I wanted to write all this down because it allows me to gather my thoughts in one place. I know you can't believe the path my life has taken; it's been almost opposite to what you knew when we were young. I'm not sure what the future holds, but I want you to know that what we had, Andy, wasn't fake. Even as I grew up, things from our marriage influenced my life. I knew about the police force because of you; I remembered all your cases, and that was ultimately more interesting to me than law school. I don't even know what I want with us, but I hope at least, we can build on a friendship._

 _My priest suggested several options, and this one seemed to fit, to write down all my thoughts. One option he gave me was to shut you out again, and that didn't sit well. Knowing him, he knew it wouldn't sit well, but he suggested it to force me to think about what I really want. I am not sure what that is, but I know it involves you in my life at least. I won't come between you, your family, or your girlfriend, but I do hope we can at least build on a friendship we started when I was 17._

 _Forever,_

 _Sharon_

She looked at the clock, and it was almost 4:00 AM. Sharon had written for hours, sometimes stopping to gather her thoughts. She wasn't sure she felt better, but she wasn't sure she felt worse either. She read back over everything, and she sighed. What was she supposed to do with this? She couldn't exactly walk up to Andy and hand it to him. She crumpled it up and tossed it on the bed while she stood and shook her head. She wasn't going to sleep tonight; that was true. She pulled on her robe and made her way to the kitchen. She'd make a cup of tea. That might help. Jack had always hated tea; that should have been her first red flag. That first meeting the two had in the bookstore, they had gone to a coffee shop. He'd ordered coffee and offered to get her some. She ordered tea, and he tried it, pushing it away like it was poison. Andy had always liked her tea. Right now, after pouring her heart and soul into, what was now a crumpled-up paper, she wanted tea, something oddly familiar from her past.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here's the next chapter. Someone asked if Sharon's letter was written from personal experience...no, not at all :) I never had a situation like anything from this story. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Sharon wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel after she'd written that letter. Her priest had told her he thought it would help. Yes, she'd gotten some of her thoughts and feelings on paper, but what was she supposed to do with that now? If by 'help,' he meant she'd be even more confused, than yes, she'd succeeded in writing the letter. She didn't have an answer, and that is why the crumpled paper sat on her nightstand for over a month.

She finally moved it after Ricky commented on it one day. "Why do you still have a crumpled-up piece of paper there, Mom?" he had asked while he was sitting on her bed talking to her. It was late one evening, and Sharon was sitting up, reading in bed. Truthfully, she had been waiting for Ricky to get home; he had been out with his friends, and she always had to make sure her kids were home safely before she went to sleep for the night.

"Oh that?" she looked toward it, trying to convey she was surprised it was there. "I don't know. I just haven't thrown it away."

"Here," he gestured with his hand. "I'm heading to my room. I'll toss it for you. You hate trash sitting around, Mom," he smiled.

"Oh, I'll get it," she waved him off. "I'm glad you and your friends had a nice evening, even if it is a Sunday night. I'm not a fan of you going out on Sunday evenings, Ricky."

"Yeah, but I told you we were studying," he replied. She glared at him. "Honest!" he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, what subject?" she inquired.

"Math. I've got that test tomorrow. Sure, we hung out some, but we studied too."

"Hmm, we'll see if you'll be going anywhere next weekend pending the results of the math test," she nodded to him.

"Fair enough, but I was studying," he smiled.

"Okay," she nodded. "Well, we both need to get some rest."

"Night, Mom," he leaned over and kissed her cheek. She returned the kiss and waited until he was out of her room before she looked to the crumpled paper. She opened her nightstand and put the ball of paper inside; she wasn't ready to get rid of it just yet.

So, the paper sat in her drawer. She checked on it every few days, and it was always there. Work was work; she worked with Andy on several occasions, and the two handled things well. They were friendly, yet professional. She made a point not to ask him about his personal life, and he seemed to have the same idea. She noted he seemed happy, and for that, she was relieved. She wanted that more than anything, for Andy to be happy.

She was surprised in April to find a bouquet of flowers sitting on her desk. Sharon was always the first in her office, and this morning was no exception. It was just before 7:00, and she jumped back when she turned on her office light and found the bouquet on the corner of her desk. She put her bag down in her chair and cautiously made her way to the flowers. She noted there was a card, and she sighed when she saw her name was written on the card. Sharon dropped into her other chair to open and read it.

" _I've never forgotten your birthday. Each year, I've thought of you and hoped you were well. Finally, I know. Happy Birthday, Sharon_ ," it said, but she noted it wasn't signed. She pursed her lips as she studied the card; it didn't need a signature. It was Andy's handwriting; she recognized it from the envelope where he'd written her name, which told her that he'd gone and picked out the flowers. He hadn't just ordered them online called in an order. She looked up to the flowers, a mixed bouquet with lilies anchoring the bouquet. She smiled; lilies had always been her favorite. Sharon stood and leaned over the flowers to smell them. They smelled wonderful, and she shook her head trying to remember the last time Jack had sent her flowers. She couldn't remember. She couldn't even remember the last time he'd wished her anything on her birthday. Emily had already called her that morning on her drive to work. She knew her daughter had an early class and appreciated the effort she had made to call her. Sharon and Ricky had plans for a late dinner. Ricky had a baseball game, and he promised to try and hit a home run for Sharon's birthday. She'd smiled at the gesture and told him she'd be great if his team just won the game.

Sharon hadn't put much though into her birthdays over the last few years. Birthdays, in her opinion, were more for her kids. She was another year older; there wasn't anything overly exciting about that, but she tried to think what she would do if Jack were around and decided that she would have made it a special day for him each year. She always made it a special day for Emily and Ricky. She smiled at her flowers as she sat down at her desk. It felt nice to get flowers, and she decided she would have to thank Andy in person later. Yes, he knew she liked flowers, but it had been so long since she'd gotten any, she'd almost forgotten how much she enjoyed them. The last few years, her parents had sent her gift certificates to restaurants and spas for her birthday, and she always appreciated that gesture. This year, it was nice to have flowers on her desk.

The day progressed, and Sharon didn't get a chance to thank Andy for the flowers. The evening wasn't much better. Ricky's team did win, but it took them 12 innings to do so, which made it a very late night.

"Mom, I'm so sorry the game went so long," Ricky sighed as he walked up to Sharon after the game. It was now after 9:00, and Sharon was exhausted.

She smiled to him, "Do not apologize. Congratulations on the win. That was a tough game."

He smiled at that as he looked to her, "Thanks. It's just that we were going to go out for your birthday, something nice."

Sharon looped her arm through Ricky's, "We are going out. How does pizza sound?"

Ricky turned slightly to give her an odd look, "Pizza? It's your birthday, Mom, not mine."

"Great," she smiled. "I'm glad we cleared that up for now. I'd like to take you for pizza. We can go out another time. It's late. You love pizza, and well, my birthday isn't just about fancy meals. I'm spending it with you. I enjoyed your game, and as you said, you were going to win for my birthday. You did, so I'm going to feed you."

Ricky's smile grew even wider, "Thanks, Mom. So, I guess when it's my birthday, we'll be going somewhere you like?"

Sharon threw her head back as she laughed at Ricky's comment. The two moved toward her car where they loaded up and started toward the pizza place. It was well after 10:00 when the two finally arrived back at home. Ricky had told Sharon he still had homework to finish, so she sent him off to start with a shower. She checked her watch, trying to decide if it was too late to call Andy. She hated that she hadn't caught him at work, but she decided that this was too important to not address.

"Flynn," he answered after it rang three times.

"Andy," she said quietly, checking to make sure Ricky had gone to his room.

"Sharon?" he asked. "Everything okay? Wait, is this a work call?"

"No," she shook her head and then sighed as she realized he couldn't see that. "I'm sorry to call so late. I realize you might not have my phone number in your phone, but I have yours from work. I'm rambling," she let out her breath. "I just wanted to call and thank you for my birthday flowers."

"Oh," he replied quietly. "You're welcome."

"I realize I could have told you tomorrow, but I wanted to thank you tonight. I'm sorry it's so late. Ricky had a late baseball game, and well, I tried to catch you at work, but you weren't around from what I could tell."

"Did he win?" Andy asked. Sharon pulled the phone away to look at it, thinking of all the things Andy could say, she wasn't expecting that.

"Well, umm, yes," she said. "12 innings later."

"Ughh," she heard Andy groan. "That sounds painful. Glad he won. It's like his birthday present to you."

Sharon chuckled, "Yes, that's what he said too. Anyway, I'm sorry to bother you, but thank you."

"I'm glad you liked the flowers, Sharon. I meant that I think of your birthday each year. We were family; you don't forget family birthdays, even when-" he trailed off. Sharon nodded to herself as well.

"Yes, well, they were lovely in my office all day. One of my detectives brought in tuna for lunch, and the smell was rather foul. The flowers did the trick," she said.

"Good," he chuckled. "Aside from foul odors and long baseball games, did you have a good birthday?"

"I did," she told him. "Pizza date with Ricky after his long game," she chuckled. "Listen, I won't keep you, but thank you again. I'm sorry I missed you today."

"Sharon, it's no problem. Sounds like the perfect birthday, for Ricky," he chuckled. "You're a good mom, Sharon, for spending your birthday between baseball and pizza."

"You would do the same," she told him.

"True," he added, "but, Nate is hating life right now that he can't play baseball. I'm glad you called. I was asleep, which is why I was a little groggy when I answered. I have your number in my phone. I just didn't check the caller id when I answered. I was in court most of the day, and when I finished, I was sent out with Provenza to collect a statement. So, you're right that I wasn't at work today," he explained. ""

"Ahh, I see," she nodded. "The flowers, then?"' she asked.

"Oh, well, Captain, let me revise my statement. I wasn't at work after 6:30 this morning. I know you go in early, and I wanted to get the flowers there to surprise you. And no, I didn't have to break into your office. One of the overnight cleaning crew was still on your floor, and I politely asked to drop off the flowers."

"Hmm, what were you going to do if you hadn't found someone to let you in my office?" she grinned.

"I'll plead the fifth on that, and it's nothing we have to worry about because nothing illegal happened," he told her with a smirk to his voice.

"Very well," she smiled. "Thank you again. Night, Andy."

"Stop saying thanks, Sharon," he told her. "Enjoy the last hour and a half of your birthday. See you at work."


	15. Chapter 15

Sharon knew the training seminars were required, and she even offered many through her division, but that didn't mean she enjoyed them. No, today, she wanted to be anywhere else. It was a beautiful day, and she was stuck attending one of the yearly required training sessions. Some were useful and informative; others were annoying, more of a 'check the box' type of activity. This one was nothing useful. She and over 100 others were stuck together for the day, and as she made her way into the large lecture hall, she started to scan the room for a place to sit. It was true she wasn't liked by many, and knowing that, she had to be strategic with her seating. Yes, many didn't like her, and they always appeared to enjoy seeing Sharon at these, only because it meant that the irritating captain from FID had to go through the same motions as the rest of them.

Sharon sighed when she noticed a potential friendly face. She headed in that direction as she shook her head. The seminar was being offered four different times over the next month, so she had a 25% chance of seeing him, and here he was.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked as she walked up behind him. He was reading the morning newspaper and unaware of her presence. He looked up, a bit surprised.

"Sharon, hi. Oh, umm, help yourself," he gestured to the seat. "So, you have to sit through this too, I guess?" he asked.

Sharon put her purse down as well as her travel mug full of tea. "Hmm, yes, even I have to come to these."

"Oh, I didn't mean that you wouldn't-," he stopped himself and started again. "I just meant that it didn't' dawn on me you'd have to sit through this. I guess I thought this presentation was put on by your division."

"Some are," she explained. "This one is not one of our lectures. So, feel free to complain about it. I know I probably will at some point today," she smiled softly. Andy nodded in agreement.

"Yes, these can be dull. I brought the paper to at least have something to keep my mind busy. I felt a book was too obvious. At least with the paper, I can fold it up and conceal it if necessary. So, how have you been?" he asked.

Sharon glanced around the room and noted more and more officers were coming in the room and getting settled. The clock indicated they had another five minutes or so before the class would begin. She looked back to Andy and found him waiting for her response.

"Oh, I'm doing fine," she nodded slightly. "Emily arrived home from school last Friday, which was a great Mother's Day present," she smiled.

"Oh, nice," he grinned. "Nicole finished too, her freshman year," he indicated. "She came back home last Tuesday, but I haven't seen her yet, not that she's been far away at all, but she's tried to stay on campus as much as possible. That was fine; her mother and I Wayne she'd to enjoy the college experience. She stays with her mother, when she is home, that is; both kids live with their mother," he added. "Maybe I'll see her this week. I've spoken to her a few times, but we have no set plans."

"I hope you can spend some time with her soon, Andy," Sharon smiled at him. He nodded.

"I do too. She's still cautious, but I'm hopeful we are on the right track," he said.

"Does Nicole have any plans for the summer?" Sharon asked.

"Oh, yes, she's doing a finance internship with one of the banks downtown. Honestly, I'm not completely sure what she is doing, but she is really excited about it. I was impressed she secured such a good internship, but I knew she was a good kid. The pay isn't great, but I pointed out they are at least paying her. I know many internships don't pay at all. What about Emily?" he asked.

"She's teaching ballet at her former ballet studio, and she's also taking part in summer production at the performing arts center here in town," Sharon explained. "They will be doing shows all summer. She's thrilled about it. She starts practice today, and actually, she starts both things today. Her job at the ballet studio is 9:00-noon, and then she had rehearsals from 2-8 each day. Long days, but she wouldn't have it any other way. At least, for now, her weekends are not as full. The ballet studio where she works is not open weekends."

"Wow, that's a full schedule. Does she take any time off or get any time off? Practicing six hours a day is a lot," he pointed out.

"It is," Sharon nodded, "but, they won't always be that long. These first few weeks, the dancers are all trying to learn the parts. Once the shows start in June, her hours won't be as bad. She will have usually three shows over a week, maybe a Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday or a Sunday matinee here and there, but it won't be as bad. Her rehearsal times will alternate based on the production schedule, but as I said, Emily wouldn't do anything else. She loves it."

"I guess I'll have to check out one of her shows this summer," he smiled to Sharon. "You'll have to email me the dates."

"I will," Sharon said as she looked at him, slightly surprised. "I never get tired of seeing her dance. I know the performing arts aren't really your thing, but I appreciate you wanting to be supportive."

"Well," he shrugged, "it's not every day you know one of the dancers. I know I don't know her well, but still," he rolled his eyes. "I'll check it out."

Sharon was about to say more, but she was interrupted by the speaker who had stepped to the podium. She sighed and sat back in her seat to try and get comfortable. She caught Andy's eye as she settled in for the morning, and rolled his eyes at her. She grinned in agreement; the lecture was going to be an annoyance.

During the first break, Sharon didn't get a chance to speak with Andy. Her phone had been going off all morning, and she'd let it go to voicemail. She had to spend the break calling her office to take care of several different issues. By the time she returned to her seat and was ready to speak to Andy, the speaker started again.

"Everything okay?" he nodded to her phone. She had put it on vibrate before the class started, but Andy had noticed it all morning as it would ring.

"Yes," she sighed. "Work, just another day at work, but I'm not even at work," she whispered, and the two turned their attention back to their class.

By lunch, Sharon was ready to run; she absolutely hated having her time wasted, and today's class felt like just that. When the instructions were given for their lunch break, Andy cleared his voice as Sharon collected her things.

"Say, would you like to get some lunch?" he asked. "I planned to just grab something nearby."

"Oh, I really need to get back to the office and check on things during lunch," Sharon explained. Andy frowned at her.

"When are you planning to eat? Our lovely instructor was very specific about no food in the room," he pointed out to her.

Sharon looked at him, a bit surprised he was questioning her lunch break, "I guess I'll grab some crackers from my desk. I keep a few things like that on hand. I'll be fine," she smiled reassuringly.

"Okay," Andy just nodded and looked to the floor. Sharon nodded back to him and turned to start out of the room.

"You know what," she turned around again and looked to Andy before she continued, "I will join you." She offered a warm smile to Andy, and he returned it. "I mean, as long as I'm not bothering you. Work can wait."

"No bother," he continued to smile. "I offered. I wouldn't have asked if it was a problem."

The two walked side by side out of the building and down the street. Sharon gestured to a sandwich shop on the corner with a questioning gaze, and Andy nodded in agreement. The two made their way inside and found many in the class had the same idea.

"Should we try somewhere else?" she asked. Andy looked around and nodded to a couple of people he knew. In his brief time with the LAPD, he'd started to get to know people in different departments when his team would go out for drinks. Of course, Andy would be there to monitor the drinking and help his team get home.

"Nah," he shook his head. "I think anywhere nearby will be the same. Food looks good. You come here often?"

"No," she replied as the two started to study the menu. "I think my office has ordered from here once or twice, but I've never been here."

"Well then, let's see if this place is decent," he nodded and gestured for her to order first.

"On one condition," she pointed her finger toward him and waited for his gaze to meet hers before she continued, "that we only discuss sports and nothing about our past."

"Deal," he grinned.

The rest of the day passed smoothly. Lunch had gone well. They didn't have a lot of time to eat and chat, but it was enough time to relax and discuss their favorite sports' teams. Sharon had suggested the topic knowing it would be enjoyable for Andy and would keep the conversation of anything she might be currently thinking.

"Tell me," he started once he had started in on his soup, "are you still a football fan?"

Sharon's smile grew, "Yes, I still love football, college and professional. Some of that came with raising a boy," she shrugged. "As you know, I was always a football fan, and Ricky has always been quite impressed that his dear old mom understands and enjoys football."

Andy chucked as he nodded, "If he's anything like you, I'm sure it gets quite loud at your house. I remember how intently you would enjoy the games," he stated while enunciating the word 'enjoy."

Sharon chuckled as she looked away, "Yes, we are quite the pair. Emily can't stand to watch anything with us. Ricky once got her headphones for Christmas as a joke so she could tune us out."

Andy grinned, "I believe it." The two started to laugh, and then Sharon looked to Andy.

"Dare I ask which team has taken the place of your treasured Yankees out here?" she teased.

"Dodgers," he held up a hand. "I know; the impossible has happened. I have decided I have room in my life for both teams."

Sharon grinned at his statement, and the two continued to discuss the Dodgers. It was safe, and with sons, both Sharon and Andy were up to speed on the season.

"We've got to get going," Sharon said as she glanced up and noted most of the deli had emptied. The conversation had come to an almost awkward point where they would possibly have to discuss their personal lives in greater detail if they talked any longer.

"Right," Andy nodded as he started to collect their trash. "I enjoyed lunch, even if you wouldn't let me buy yours."

"Work lunch," Sharon nodded to him. "It was a work lunch. I appreciate the gesture, Andy, but I can't have you buying my lunch. I outrank you, and I only say that because it would look well," she flustered and then corrected herself. "It's just, we are colleagues." Sharon had appreciated the sweet gesture of Andy offering to buy her lunch, and she wasn't sure why she'd said no to him. Maybe, deep down, she knew that she had to draw the line somewhere; she had to keep her stirring feelings at bay, and it was easier on her if she made sure the line was clear between them; they worked together now, nothing more.

Andy just nodded as he held the door, "Sure, okay. It's fine, Sharon."


	16. Chapter 16

After their training day, Sharon and Andy didn't have much interaction over the next few weeks. That didn't stop Sharon from thinking of Andy; it was quite the opposite. She was irritated with herself, with her "professional" comment she'd made to him. Who was she kidding? They had been doing just fine and had been working on their friendship. She'd made it awkward again because after that, the few times they did see each other at work, Andy made sure to keep things very professional. She'd made it awkward, and she wasn't sure how to discuss it with him.

After thinking it through and perhaps, not definitely overthinking it, she decided to send him a Father's Day card, a sort of peace offering. She knew he continued to beat himself up about his relationship with his kids, and while she had not known him when he'd been an alcoholic with small children, she knew he was trying now, something she wished Jack would do. A card was simple and did not involve any sort of awkwardness; she could drop it in the mail. Unfortunately, Sharon seemed to have a problem keeping things simple.

On Saturday afternoon, Sharon was enjoying a rare weekend off and was home enjoying time with her family. She had Monday off too, another rarity, but her division had worked the last two weekends and were due for a break. They were on the back porch and had been moving in and out of the house refilling drinks when Ricky came back out and caught Sharon's attention.

"Mom," he looked to her with a questionable glance and continued, "Lieutenant Flynn is at the door. I didn't know if you wanted me to invite him in, so he's still at the door."

Sharon's face grew pale as she glanced around and stumbled to find her words, "I, umm," she said as she jumped up quickly and moved by Ricky toward the door. She could tell she had an audience following her.

She crossed her arms as she moved closer to the door, a defensive mechanism she often used. She found Andy pacing on her front porch. "Hi, what are you doing here?"

"Care to tell me-" he stopped when he saw the audience they'd attracted. Sharon glanced down to his hand where he was gripping the card. She sighed because she knew why he'd come as soon as Ricky said he was at the door.

"Andy, is that you?" Sharon's dad asked. Sharon shook her head and pursed her lips as she turned toward her parents. They were both standing behind her, completely dumbfounded to find a blast from the past on their daughter's doorstep.

"Bob, Sue," he shook his head. "I had no idea you were here. Wow, it's been a long time. You both look well."

"Andy," her dad frowned. "When Ricky came onto the back porch and said Lieutenant Flynn was at the door, I thought to myself it couldn't be you. Haven't seen you in a couple of decades, and our daughter certainly hasn't mentioned you. What's this," he gestured between Sharon and Andy.

Sharon took a deep breath and shook her head at Andy as she held her one hand on the door. She turned slightly and found her parents, Emily, and Ricky all standing behind her.

"Mom, Dad, Andy and I ran into each other last year after he moved out to LA. He's a lieutenant with the LAPD," she gestured with her free hand. She looked back to Andy with a glare she knew he'd recognize from their early years, one that meant he shouldn't challenge her next comment. "I'm guessing he is here about one of the cases we are currently handling."

"You work together?" Sharon's mom, Sue asked, the surprise evident on her face. "Sharon, why didn't you mention Andy was here?"

She sighed again, "It's a non-issue, Mom and Dad. We're doing just fine," she gestured between Andy and herself. "We ran into each other over a year ago. Now," she shrugged and paused, "Friends," she added.

"Colleagues," Andy said as he looked to Sharon, and Sharon winced, knowing that was a dig at her comment from their lunch a month ago. Yes, she probably deserved that. She watched as Andy turned his focus, his irritation, toward Sharon's parents, but then he spoke calmly. "My kids moved out here, and I followed them. I wanted to be near my kids."

"How lovely," Sue smiled. "So, you have children too? How many?"

"Two," he nodded, as he continued, "a girl and a boy. Nicole just turned 19, and Nate is 17."

"Ahh, so I'm sensing there's another ex," her dad said pointedly.

"Dad," Sharon snapped quickly, trying to end the conversation. "If you don't mind," she said, "can I handle this? Let me deal with the work matter, and we can get back to our afternoon."

Her parents just nodded, while Emily and Ricky watched. The two had been silent, noting their grandparents' interaction with their mom's ex-husband. After Sharon's plea, the four turned and moved away from the door, while Sharon and Andy watched.

"Nice to see you again," Andy called out to all of them.

Sharon waited until they were out of sight before she turned back to Andy and gestured for him to move aside so she could step onto the front porch where she could also close the front door. He moved, but she noted he was glaring at her again now that the rest of the family had left them alone.

"I never would have shown up if I had any idea your parents were visiting," he sighed. "I'm sorry about that, but what did you expect after sending me this?" he gestured to his hand.

Sharon nodded as her gaze drifted to his hand where he was pulling the card out of the envelope. She closed her eyes as he pulled the crumpled-up paper from inside the card. She hadn't seen it for a few days now. Yes, she expected he might want to discuss the crumpled-up paper she'd sent in the card.


	17. Chapter 17

Sharon sighed as she walked to the edge of her front steps and sat down. Andy continued to stand there, but he eventually moved and sat down next to her. The two were seated side by side on the front steps, facing toward the street.

"How long until your parents come out here to check on us?" Andy asked.

Sharon pursed her lips, "I'm going to go with five minutes. They flew into town three days ago. They like to come around Father's Day; I can't fly home with work, and since Jack left, it's always been nice for the kids to see their grandparents on Father's Day."

"Right," Andy nodded. "Again, I apologize for causing more of a mess. I take it, from their reaction, they were completely unaware we'd run into each other out here."

"Hmm," Sharon just nodded as the two continued to sit. "I thought it best to keep my life private, at least the part about discussing you with them. I think we both know how that discussion would have gone. They still want to blame you for breaking up our marriage, a decision I really pushed, not you."

Andy just nodded and looked to the ground. He continued to rest his hands on his knees, which were raised, and the letter dangled from his hands. "You can't just send something like this and not expect me to have some reaction."

Sharon sighed again, "I know. I don't know what I expected. I have had a head full of thoughts over the last year, and I finally put them on paper. I guess deep down I wanted you to know."

"Know what? What is the end game here, Sharon? Do you think that I haven't thought about this?" he gestured to the paper, where he poked it with his free hand. She could tell he was frustrated, and she understood that. "I've thought about all of the 'what if' type of situations myself over the years."

"And?" Sharon asked. "What did you conclude? You know my thoughts from what I wrote, but what are yours?"

"I should have fought harder," he told her. "I should have been willing to compromise, to actually participate in our marriage. I should have listened when you suggested I was drinking too much. My goodness, Sharon, you were my wife, and I was almost too stubborn to see it. You didn't want me to be a cop in the city; I pushed, and I went behind your back. You didn't want to stay in New York; I pushed, and I fought back. You asked if we could move anywhere," he gestured, "anywhere," he said again. "I didn't want to leave the area, my family. YOU were part of my family, and I was too stupid to see it. You didn't want kids, and I pushed, which caused us to argue more and more. Finally, when I caved and said it wouldn't matter, I was lying to myself and resented you for that. I held a grudge because of something I really wanted. Have I thought about it all? EVERY SINGLE DAY, Sharon," he sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. Sharon sat quietly and let him speak. She watched him, but she let him speak.

"And, another thing," he gestured again with his hands, "fake? Our marriage was not fake, and I can't believe you would suggest I thought that."

"Andy," Sharon said sternly, "I wasn't suggesting you thought that. I wanted to clarify that I did not think that. I know what we had was real, even if we were young, stupid, and stubborn. Young love doesn't mean it isn't a real love," she sighed. "I only meant that, that it wasn't a fake love; it was real."

Andy just nodded, as he looked to the crumpled paper again, "I've read and re-read this so many times. Jack did a number on you, didn't he?"

"Hmm," Sharon just nodded as she glanced away. "I won't deny that, but I also have to accept my responsibility in that too. I allowed myself to make another bad decision. After our divorce, I told myself that I wouldn't run to another man, I wouldn't fall in love that quickly, and it's exactly what I did. I refused to learn, and I refused to listen. My parents tried again, but they knew I would do as I wanted. I put them through a lot."

Andy just nodded, "I'm glad you have a good relationship with them now. I know it was strained when we were married."

Sharon pursed her lips and turned to Andy, "You are in luck; they dislike Jack more than they dislike you. Progress," she sighed.

Silence settled on the two as they continued to sit on the steps. Andy sighed loudly and continued, "Why did you send this, Sharon?"

"Honestly," she paused, "I'm not sure."

"You're married," he told her.

She nodded, "I know. I have not made the best decisions in life, and as much as I'd like to say I'm going to divorce Jack and run to you, that isn't necessarily a good decision now either. Besides, you have your own life, and I've made enough of a mess of it."

"I think we can both accept responsibility for our marriage mistakes," Andy told her.

Sharon nodded and then cleared her throat to speak, "Earlier, you gave a list of all the things you wanted, and yes, when we were married, I disagreed with all of them. That wasn't fair of me, Andy. Looking back, I fought against anything you wanted, and I'm sorry. We never seemed to be on the same page about what we wanted. You didn't want to move five miles away; I would have moved five thousand miles away. We wanted different things, and we were unwilling to compromise. I got tired of it, and I gave up. I threw in the towel and wanted a divorce. That part is on me."

"Is that why you are still with Jack?" he asked. "You don't want to give up this time?"

Sharon tilted her head and met Andy's gaze, "Honestly, before you came back into my life, and I started thinking about all of this, I would not have linked the two. I wouldn't have linked our marriage failure to wanting to stay with Jack. Yes, I know, it sounds simple and absurd, but I didn't see it. It's taken me a year to process all of this, and I will be honest and say that yes, I don't want to give up on Jack like I gave up on us. I don't want to regret it down the road."

"So, what does that mean, Sharon?" Andy asked. "Why the letter again? Here I was, finally getting over you."

Sharon raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked to him, "What do you mean you were finally getting over me? We've been divorced over 20 years."

Andy sighed as he hung his head, "It was always you, Sharon. Always. Sandra threw me out because of my drinking, but she told me she always felt like the third wheel in our own marriage. She felt like the 'Ghost of Sharon' was what I wanted."

"Was it?" Sharon asked. "Andy, the divorce was my idea, and you went through the motions. I realize that; you didn't push the issue."

"Right," Andy nodded. "I didn't push the issue on either end. I didn't fight for you, and I didn't fight against you. That was my biggest mistake. I became complacent, and I let you go. I have been beating myself up about that for decades, and yeah, I never fully loved Sandra. I couldn't see it or admit it at the time, but years and years of analyzing everything have shown me that."

"So, are you over me, then? I mean, now?" she asked.

He looked to her, "I have to be."


	18. Chapter 18

Sharon and Andy sat in silence as they both processed what Andy had said.

 _"I have to be,"_ he'd told her when she had asked him if he was over her now, finally 20 years later.

"You didn't answer me as I expected. You said you have to be over me, implying you aren't, but that you want to be," she said.

"And?" Andy asked. "I guess that's my problem, not yours."

"Andy," she sighed as she shook her head and looked away. When she glanced back, she couldn't take her focus off the crumpled paper in Andy's hand.

"Well, really, what choice do I have, Sharon? I need to put the 'Ghost of Sharon' as you've been called behind me for good. I didn't realize I hadn't until we ran into each other. Even after my marriage to Sandra broke up, I thought I really was working to put you behind me. I realized last year when I saw you, I still hadn't," he sighed. "I need to do that. It's not healthy, and it's ruining any potential relationships for me."

Sharon tilted her head to study Andy, "What about your girlfriend? I forget her name?"

Andy rolled his eyes, "We never seemed in sync," he told Sharon. "We barely could find time to go out on a real, full-evening date. When we did, she just wasn't," he sighed as he used his free hand to gesture in the air.

"What?" Sharon asked. "It just didn't work?"

"Basically," Andy told her. He could feel Sharon still looking at him. "Fine, at the end of the day, she wasn't like you. Running into you messed with my head again, and I'm again comparing everyone to you. Problem is neither you nor I are the 'us' of 20 years ago, and I can't seem to realize that. I'm afraid I won't ever get over what fairy tale I still see with us in my head."

Sharon just nodded, and the two were interrupted by the door opening. "Sharon, everything okay?" her mom asked as she stuck her head out the door. Both Sharon and Andy glanced toward the door. Sharon saw Andy put the paper down toward his one side as he turned, out of sight of her mom.

"Fine, Mom," she nodded. "We're just talking through a few things. Work," she shrugged. "I'll be in shortly."

Her mom glanced to Andy, and he gave a small smile and nod. Her mom nodded to the two of them and disappeared.

Andy checked his watch and looked to Sharon, "10 minutes. I'm impressed. For hating me, they didn't pounce on you right away."

"They don't hate you," Sharon sighed. "As I said, they like you better than Jack."

"At least they do, like me better than Jack," he said firmly to Sharon. She turned and glared at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"What do you think?" he exclaimed. "You send this," he gestured to the letter, "implying you want something with us again, and then you shut it down with your marriage to Jack. Sharon, I won't date a married woman. I'm still confused why you sent this and what you want exactly. If you were trying to clear your head, I think you clogged mine even more. You're married; I am not stooping to that level to date a married woman, not even you."

"I am not asking you to do so. I never said that was a letter to get you back. It was just a-" she stopped talking and looked away.

"A what?" he exclaimed again.

"A- I don't know," she shook her head in honesty. "I don't know what it was. I don't know what to do."

"Sharon, Jack isn't coming back," he told her. "I don't know the guy, but I can tell you that. A guy who has been gone that long and has been that crappy to you isn't coming back, and quite honestly, why would you want him to at this point? He left you. We didn't even have it that bad in our marriage. Sure, I was complacent and didn't fight, but neither of us disappeared and trashed the other."

Sharon looked to Andy and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, "I don't know what to say. I don't know what I want. I guess all I can offer at this moment is friendship. Could you do that?"

"That's what we've been working on this year, Sharon!" he exclaimed again. "What I want is for you to not mess with my head, whatever that means. I need some clarity."

"Fine!" she exclaimed back to him. They weren't yelling, but each was getting more and more sensitive to the matter at hand. "Here is your clarity. I don't know if I will ever divorce Jack. I'm not asking you for anything. If you don't want to work on our friendship, fine. If it's too hard, fine. I would like that, but I know it might be too much. I realize I seem to be holding the cards, my marriage dangling in your face. You are cut free; do what you need to get me out of your head. Date, whatever," she gestured.

"I have been trying to do that," Andy sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"And?" Sharon asked, her interest now showing. "How's that working out for you?"

"It's terrible!" he exclaimed. "Deep down, yeah, I still love the Sharon I met when she was 17. I don't know how that translates to today. I'm a different man, and from what you've told me, you're a different woman."

Sharon just nodded, "That is all true. Andy, I can't promise anything right now except friendship. We are different people, yes. It also didn't work before, and I can't get over the idea that we both might have this illusion of a happily ever after that we shouldn't ever expect to happen. It didn't before, and yes, we're different people now."

"So," Andy said slowly, as he looked to the ground. He put his hand that was still clutching the letter on his leg where Sharon could see it too. It was now barely legible from being so crumbled. "So," he started again, "what if the people we are now, the different people we are now are the right people to make it work this time?"

"As I said, I am not ready to deal with Jack," she sighed. Andy nodded.

"Okay, but the offer of friendship, is it still there?" he asked.

"I would like that," she smiled to him, now tears in her eyes.

"Then, let's start there. Let's work on our friendship. Sometimes friendship can turn into something more. I won't let it with Jack hanging in the wings, but maybe someday," he shrugged.

"Maybe someday," she nodded.

Andy stood, "Look, I know your family is here, and this isn't the time to hash all this out. We can't solve this today. Friends, though?" he asked, as he held out his hand to her.

Instead of shaking it, Sharon put her hand in his and pulled herself up toward Andy. She nodded, "Friends, with maybe-" she trailed off.

"A future down the road?" he asked.

"I can't promise," she sighed. "I can't ask you to wait."

"I've tried to move on, Sharon, for 20 years," he looked away. "If you were to ask how that's been going, well," he gestured to the ground, "look where I'm standing right now. Yeah, sure, we may have met each other too early, but the fact is, our paths crossed for a reason. I'm not sure that we're done."

Sharon just nodded, "What are your plans for Father's Day?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Andy lifted his eyebrows, a bit surprised at the change of topic, "Ahh, I'm meeting up with the kids for dinner. That's it. Father's Day, and they agreed to dinner. I'm grilling out, which is what I wanted to do."

"Well," Sharon cleared her throat, noting she was nervous, "come join us for lunch. I'm making lunch here, and I'd like you to join us."

"Sharon, it's Father's Day," he told her.

"My dad is here, yes. We've been enjoying our time together for a couple days and will continue throughout their visit. A friendship now with you means you and my family must get along. We're not going to build a friendship or anything else, on secrets this time. So, I'll ask you again to join us tomorrow. I'm going to have lunch here after we get home from church. I'm wanting to be a good friend on a day I know you need something positive. I'm sure a couple hours with the kids will be great, but not enough."

"I can't interrupt your family time," he sighed.

"Look," Sharon turned to him and met his gaze. "My parents need to get to know the Andy of now. I'm not promising more than friendship now, Andy, but if you are going to be in my life at all, I need you and my family to get along. Please," she asked.

"I'll come," he nodded. "As long as Jack isn't there," he told her and continued, "I'll come."

Sharon held back a laugh, "I can assure you Jack will not be there."

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll come. You'll clarify we're friends?"

"I will, and I also want you right now to promise me that you will try to move on. If you meet anyone you want to date, do that, Andy. We can still be friends. I can't promise more," she sighed.

"I'll promise to move on if you promise to deal with Jack," he said as he put her on the spot.

"I don't know if I can do that," she said.

"I don't know if I can move on, Sharon," he told her. "That puts us at a standstill. I guess instead of empty promises, we both just need to take everything day by day."

She nodded, "Starting tomorrow-I'll see you for lunch?" she asked as she took a step toward the door.

"I'll be here. What are friends for, right?" he asked.


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm still not sure why you thought inviting Andy to lunch was a good idea," Sharon's mom complained as the two worked on the meal. It was Sunday, almost lunchtime, and the family was all back from Mass. Sharon's dad and the kids were on a walk together; her dad liked to walk several miles a day.

"Mom," Sharon sighed as she wiped her hands on the towel, "I don't want to keep rehashing this with you. I am working on a friendship with Andy, and for once in my life, I would like to have everything in the open. No hiding, no secrets," she explained.

"Sharon, your father and I think this is a mistake. This isn't a healthy path for you to go down right now," she told her.

"I'm a grown woman, Mom," Sharon shook her head.

"Who has a terrible track record. Sharon, you're married to Jack, and we both know he's turned out to be a total disaster. Now, you tell us you want your first husband back in your life as a friend. Sharon, please, please, if you do anything right, let it be this. Do not have an affair with him. That's disgraceful!"

"Mom!" Sharon snapped to her. "I am NOT going to do that. I've already told Andy the same!" she exclaimed.

"So, he suggested it? Sharon," her mom shook her head.

"Mom, he did no such thing. You really need to realize that Andy is a good man. He did not single-handedly ruin our marriage. In fact, I was the one who pushed. I wanted out, and I pushed for it. Andy was not perfect; he is not perfect, but neither am I. By some strange coincidence, we ran into each other a year ago. We now work in the same building, almost 3,000 miles from where we started. I've told Andy I can't promise him anything, but I can start with trying to rebuild our friendship. I would like that because after all this time, I still care about him."

Sharon's mom didn't get a chance to reply because the doorbell rang, and both knew the only person who would ring the bell would be Andy. Sharon moved to answer it, and she could feel her mom glaring at her.

"Hi," Sharon smiled as she answered the door. "Come in," she gestured.

"Thanks," Andy nodded as he walked inside. "I brought this," as he handed Sharon some flowers and a pie. "I remember your dad likes pie."

"He does," Sharon smiled. "Thank you for both things," she gestured to the items now in her hand. "My mom tries to limit him to one sweet a day."

"Well, good then," Andy nodded. "He can enjoy some pie."

"Andy," they both heard Sharon's mom greet him rather coldly as she walked up behind Sharon. She had been fine with Andy yesterday when it appeared he just worked with Sharon, but now that she knew her daughter was having him over, she was wary. She knew her daughter, and she was worried Sharon would not be able to resist Andy.

"Thanks for having me," he nodded to her. "I hope it's no trouble."

"Sharon wanted you here. It's been a long time, and yes, I realize we saw you yesterday, but it's been a long time," she explained.

"It has," Andy nodded as he followed her lead toward the kitchen. Andy glanced around; he hadn't been in Sharon's home, and Sharon followed him to the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink?" Sharon asked.

"Water is fine," Andy nodded as he took a seat at the kitchen stools while Sharon and her mom went back to work in the kitchen. Sharon moved around getting Andy a glass of water while her mom finished with the salad. It was strange; he was a guest, yet, he knew Sharon and her parents well.

"Andy, you mentioned your children yesterday," Sue started talking to him and continued, "so what was this about moving out here for them."

"Oh, well-" he was interrupted by the front door.

"We're back," Ricky called to the group as they all made their way to the kitchen.

"Lieutenant Flynn," he nodded to him when he entered.

"You can just call me Andy," Andy gave a small smile to them. "Ricky, Emily, Bob," he nodded. "Thanks for having me. A Happy Father's Day to you, Bob."

"Thank you," Bob nodded simply. "I guess the same to you, which by the way, why aren't you with your own kids? These ones have a father, a lousy one at that, so are you dodging your own kids?"

"Dad!" Sharon exclaimed as she looked from her dad to Andy. She turned to Andy with a pleading glance and shook her head.

"It's okay," he raised a hand. "I deserve that and probably more."

"You do not!" Sharon exclaimed as she made her way to Andy. "Dad, that was unnecessary. I have told you and Mom that Andy did not end our marriage. I did. I wanted to end things; I suggested it."

"If he hadn't talked you into-" her dad started again, but she cut him off.

"Enough! I was 17 yes, and I know it was young. I was the same age here as Ricky," she gestured. "Young doesn't mean you are incapable of everything. Yes, we made mistakes, but I did things of my own free will. DO NOT put the blame all on Andy; we were both willing participants. I hope we can have an enjoyable lunch. Andy is here as my guest, and you will not be rude," Sharon explained.

"Look, Andy," her dad sighed as he looked to Sharon.

Andy held up his hand, "Just stop, Bob. Really. I get it. I have a teenage daughter too, and I get it now. I can see what pain Sharon and I put you through. I look at my kids; I look even at Emily and Ricky, and I can't imagine watching them mess up like we did. The fact is we are different people now, and we would like to be friends. I think a lot of the same feelings are there, but we are adult enough to handle ourselves. Sharon invited me over because it was a friendly gesture; we are working on a friendship, and we don't want any of you to misunderstand that. As far as my kids, my ex-wife has them all day, and yes, I'm aware it's Father's Day. She's like that," he rolled his eyes. "My kids and I have a ways to go to mend fences too, but I'll be seeing them later for dinner. Sharon was being kind, watching out for a friend on a somewhat difficult day. I appreciate it, and I would like to stay, to start to mend fences here too."

"I think that might be wise for all of us," Sharon nodded with a small smile as she looked around the room. "There is a lot of bitterness here, from all of us, directed at different people. Many of us were hurt by Jack; we've all hurt each other, and we've hurt others. Can we enjoy this lunch, please?"

"We can, Sharon, for you," her dad nodded. "Now, it's Father's Day, so I'm going to relax and enjoy my day. Andy, let's start over, deal?" he offered his hand.

"Deal," Andy nodded a small smile.

"Good," his dad agreed. "It's my day; I'm going to have a beer. Now, join me, and we can talk about what you've been doing the last 20 years."


	20. Chapter 20

It was Thursday evening before Sharon got a chance to speak with Andy alone. Lunch had happened; she wasn't sure she would say it had gone well, but he had eaten with her family, and they had all survived. Tonight, her parents were taking the kids to dinner and a movie, so she had time to stay at work and get things done. Her job was never ending. Sharon had sent Andy an email on Monday, apologizing for the lunch situation, and she'd tried calling him. She hadn't heard back, but she thought his division had caught a case. She wanted to apologize for lunch, to thank Andy for making such an effort with their friendship. It hadn't been a total disaster, but yes, it could have gone better. She asked if she could speak with him at some point during the week. She knew he was busy, too, and neither wanted to draw much attention to their personal past if they could avoid it. That was why she was surprised to see Andy in her office doorway late Thursday evening.

"Hi," he knocked, and she looked up from her paperwork. A quick glance at her watch told her it was now after 8:00.

"Hi," she frowned, happy to see him, but surprised to see him in her office. "Why are you still here?"

"Working a case," he gestured in the air. "We're done now. One more dirt bag off the streets," he rolled his eyes.

"Sit," she gestured, "if you like," she added. "My office went home a couple hours ago." Andy just nodded once and moved to the chair.

He eyed her, "The boss needs to head home too, then. Aren't your parents still in town?"

She rolled her eyes, "They took the kids to dinner and a movie. They always enjoy the time they get to spend with them, and quite honestly, I did need an interrupted evening here at work."

"Oh," Andy started to stand again, "I won't bother you."

"Stop," she said abruptly. "Sit," she gestured again. "Please."

"Ahh, you can be polite," he smirked as he sat again.

"Hmm, to think I wanted to apologize for lunch the other day," she tilted her head and gave him a stare.

Andy sighed, "I knew that was a bad idea."

"I'm sorry I put you in the line of fire. It's my fault. I know you won't believe me, but I didn't bring you over there just to have my parents interrogate you. I did have the best intentions. I should have addressed the alcohol topic before you got there. Everything," she sighed. "My parents are just wanting to put blame on anyone other than me, and it's my blame alone to take. They are disappointed with how things have turned out for me. Granted, they love the kids, but I know they saw me as a happy, successful lawyer, married, with a family, and I pushed back in all areas, telling them I didn't want any of it, or I wanted it on my terms. They were mad about us, then that I didn't want kids, then that I didn't stick with law school, and then that I became a police officer. Jack was just about the last straw, and for them, it's easier to be mad at everyone else. I'm at fault, though. My decisions, and I'm sorry you got caught in the cross-fire."

He shrugged, "I'm a big boy. I can take it, and I was part of a large portion of the misdirection your life took. Tell me, Sharon, would you change it?"

She was silent a few moments while she considered what he'd asked, "Parts, yes, but when I think about the things I'd want to change, it wouldn't have me here today. The point is, I can't change anything, and even good things come out of mistakes."

Andy just nodded, "Well, then you need to push forward and stop apologizing. You mentioned that your parents wanted to see you as happy. Are you happy?"

"I love my job, and I love my kids," she offered a small smile.

"You dodged my question," he pointed out to her.

"I'm happy in many aspects of my life, Andy, and that's more than most can say," she told him.

"But, Jack," he addressed the touchy subject. "You didn't mention Jack."

"Jack is a thorn in my side," she told Andy. "Just as a thorn can get stuck, Jack is stuck too. I can't easily remove him without getting hurt in one way or another."

He nodded, "I know, but you're going to stay with him, at least that's what you told me."

"I have to," she sighed. "I can't do anything more."

Andy nodded, "I know. I've watched you, and I have come to that same conclusion about you too. You're loyal, Sharon, one of the things I still like about you. I wish I could say I admire your dedication in this marriage, but I would be lying. I guess I wish the roles were reversed; I guess I wish it had been our marriage you fought to keep."

"Andy," she sighed. "I told you I would like to be friends."

"I know," Andy nodded. "I've thought long and hard. I thought I could do that easily, but I don't think I can. Sharon, it was so hard, so hard," he sighed as he shook his head, "to spend Sunday with you and your family. It wasn't even due to the comments from your parents. That, I could handle. Sharon, it was hard because I like being around you, and I don't' think I can be friends. I know you can't be more, and I respect that, but it's not healthy for me. Sharon, I came here this evening because after a lot of thought, I have to step away."

Sharon's expression changed, and she felt herself starting to panic, "You what?"

"I can't do this. It's not because of some fight; I don't hate you, quite the opposite," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I want what I can't have, and for that reason, I need to step back. I thought we could handle being friends, being in each other's lives, but I just can't. I wanted to embrace you on Sunday when your parents were lecturing you for the tenth time. I couldn't. It wouldn't be appropriate, and I'm not the other guy. You can't offer anything more than friendship, but I can't even offer that, at least not a close friendship. Sure, I can be civil here at work, but I am worried it's going to drive me to the edge. The last thing I need is to want to take a drink over what I can't have."

"Andy, I thought we talked about this, and we were both okay with working on a friendship," Sharon stammered. Andy had clearly caught her off guard, and now that he was back in her life, she realized she didn't want to lose him again.

"I can't, Sharon. I just can't," he shook his head.

She looked away, "All those years, I thought I was fine and had moved on. You reappeared, and I've been a mess again. I don't' want to lose you in my life, Andy."

"I can't stay in it, not now. I need to deal with reality, Sharon. I want more, and I can't have it. I wanted to be straight with you; you deserve that much," he told her.

"So, Jack," she sighed.

"You don't want to do anything, and quite honestly, I can't be the reason you ever do. Jack is your deal. This," he gestured between them, "isn't healthy. I don't know if I'll find a relationship that is because I haven't so far; I've lived with the ghost of you, but my feelings are not helping. I thought we'd be okay, after our talk Saturday, but lunch on Sunday confirmed I can't. I looked at you and the kids wishing you were my family. I wished we were still married, and those were our kids with your parents. That doesn't mean I wish my own kids away, but I can't seem to move forward. I'm stuck on my ex-wife of over 20 years ago, and that isn't good. A friendship isn't going to help right now."

Sharon dropped her head, and Andy watched. She turned in her chair to the side, just so she wasn't face to face with Andy and wiped a stray tear. "I thought we-" she stopped and sighed.

"Could have it all? You thought we would be okay as friends now, even knowing that deep down some of that attraction is still there? Yeah, so did I," he sighed. "I can't do this, Sharon. I want you too much."

"You don't think time will help?" she asked.

"Do you?" he asked, eyeing her closely now. "Sharon, it's been over 20 years. The feelings don't seem to be fading. The reason it's hard for us now is similar to the reason it's hard for you to deal with Jack. You don't want to let go of the possibilities. I see them with you now, more than before, but I won't pursue you. I can't; I'm not that guy. You have a Jack on your plate."

She nodded as she continued to look away. When she looked back at him, she could see the sadness on his face, the anguish in his eyes. "I wish I could promise you more."

He nodded in silent acknowledgement, "I wish I could say we could be friends."

"Work?" she choked out as she held back her tears.

He sighed, "People here don't know our past. We can keep it that way. I'll be civil, but we need to remain professional."

Sharon nodded as she sat there, shell-shocked. Andy stood, "Look, I didn't want to make you cry. I hate being that guy." He sighed as he found a box of tissues and brought them to her. "Sharon, I need you to know I care about you so much I can't dishonor you or your marriage. I have to let go. I realize you aren't ready to let go, of Jack or of me, just not in the same ways."

"One day," she cleared her voice and started again, "one day, it might be different."

"It might," he nodded in agreement. "Just don't make Jack about me. Just don't make any decisions in your marriage about me. Promise me. Your marriage has to be about you and other circumstances, but they can't be about me. Promise."

"I promise," she nodded as she choked back a sob.

"Come here," he held open his arms. "I can't be the dirt bag that walks out while you are still crying." Sharon shook her head as if she didn't want to bother him. Andy stepped around her desk and leaned down so he was face to face with her in her desk chair. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I wish everything was different. I wish I could promise more and that I wasn't so stubborn about my marriage."

"I know," he told her. "Just remember that you promised that your marriage can never be about me."

She nodded, and Andy pulled back to look her in the eye. "I wish you the best, Sharon."

"Andy, I want you to be happy, to find peace in your life," she sighed.

"I want that too," he nodded. "I'm working on it with my kids. It's a painfully slow process, but I'm hoping to get there with them. I want the same for you, Sharon, to be happy in all areas of your life."

"I'm sorry I ruined our friendship, or possibility of one," she shook her head.

Andy squeezed her hand as he stood, "You know where to find me, now," he offered a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere. I can't promise what life will look like for me, but I'm going to try to live it."

"And Jack?" she asked, not really sure why she even brought up his name.

"He's your husband, at least until you decide otherwise, if you ever decide otherwise. I had that title; I was stupid enough to easily give it up. I didn't fight to keep it, and ironically, I wish you weren't fighting so hard now for this marriage. I wish we'd done differently, but life is what it is. I'll see you around, Sharon," he touched her desk as he turned to the door. He offered a small wave as he made his way to the elevator. Sharon sat back and put her hand to her face. Andy wasn't hers; she had to let him go.


	21. Chapter 21

He knocked on the door and waited. He'd been here many, many times, but now, today, it seemed different. It seemed maybe hopeful, but it was too early to think that. He couldn't help it, though. His mind drifted, back to the conversation of years' before. It was one he'd replayed in his head over the last several years, over 10 of them now to be more precise. " _Just don't make Jack about me. Just don't make any decisions in your marriage about me. Promise me. Your marriage has to be about you and other circumstances, but they can't be about me. Promise."_

"Lieutenant," he heard and snapped out of his memory. He glanced up, as his memory had him staring at the floor, "Sharon's not home right now."

"Hey Kid," he nodded. "Sorry, I came in through the visitor side. I didn't check the parking garage. We left work almost an hour ago. I thought she'd be here."

"She stopped for groceries," Rusty told him. "You can, like, come in and wait if you want."

"Sure," Andy gave a single nod and followed Rusty into the condo. He closed the door and followed Rusty toward the couch. He could tell Rusty was doing homework.

"How's school going?" Andy asked as Rusty took up his seat on the couch. "Sharon said you are almost done."

"Good," Rusty nodded as he gestured to the homework. "I've got my last finals next week, and then I graduate."

"They're letting you graduate?" Andy grinned as he joked with Rusty.

"Ha ha," Rusty rolled his eyes at Andy. "Come see for yourself if you don't believe it. Sharon's all big about my graduation ceremony."

"You know," Andy pointed to Rusty, "I just will. Count me in."

"Cool," he nodded. So, are you two supposed to be going to dinner or something? She didn't mention that when I talked to her. In fact, she wanted to make dinner, but I told her I had plans to see a movie with a couple guys from my English class tonight. She definitely didn't mention dinner with you. Wait, did we catch Sharon forgetting something?" Rusty grinned.

"No," Andy held up his hand, "I wanted to talk to her about something. Work was work, and I was hoping to talk to her. That's it."

"Well, you're in luck. She'll be home, and I won't. You can talk all you want," Rusty told him.

"Still looking for a job?" Andy asked Rusty.

"Yeah, and weird," Rusty shook his head, "Jack tried to give me one."

"Jack?" Andy raised an eyebrow. "I'd say that come with ulterior motives."

"Yeah, I figured as much too. I still can't believe Sharon is married to him of all people," he grimaced as he glanced to Andy. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Andy glanced to Rusty with raised eyebrows, "If that is a general statement about Sharon's marriages, I take offense," he flashed a fake smile. "If that is specifically directed at Jack, then, yes, I completely agree with you and have said the same for over 10 years."

"Definitely directed at Jack," Rusty nodded, the surprised look evident on his face. "You two," he gestured to Andy, "I kinda get. I mean, it's weird to think that you two were married when you were like my age, but whatever. I get it, I guess, especially seeing how you two are now. It's kinda weird though, isn't it? You work with your ex-wife, and she's a friend of yours now, well, you like go out all the time, so whatever. It's weird. Lieutenant Provenza sure doesn't like any of his ex-wives."

"It's different," Andy shrugged. "Provenza and I are very different, as you know." Rusty just nodded.

It had been over 10 years now since Andy had walked away from even a friendship with Sharon, and while many things had certainly changed, others had stayed the same. Andy and Sharon weren't just working for the LAPD; she was now his boss, a change that had been welcome, but had taken some effort too. They had been at each other for years, both finding it easier to argue than to address their frustrations with each other. Andy had tried moving on; he'd told Sharon he had to do it. He'd tried for years, but it hadn't worked. He'd found himself in her office on several occasions for write-ups for different things, none of them serious, but each time, it was harder and harder to walk away. Deep down, he wondered if he got into trouble just so he was sent to her office; it was a rarity for a few years that he even saw her in the building. As of late, these past few years, though, he'd been seeing more and more of Sharon at work, first when she'd been assigned to them during Chief Johnson's reign of the division, and then, after Sharon took over the division. They had argued, some of the most heated arguments in the entire building, but it had been better than breaking down and admitting what feelings were really lurking under the surface. Frustration had been evident; the rest of the team just thought the two hated each other and didn't realize the past. Provenza knew. Andy had told him after the two had been partners for a few years. Provenza had called him an idiot more times than Andy could count, but he knew. As Sharon was around Major Crimes more and more, Provenza just shook his head and told Andy he didn't know many idiots who wanted to work with their ex-wives and lately, who still followed them around like a lovesick puppy.

Lovesick puppy. Yes, that was probably true. Andy had tried to move on, and Provenza had helped him, or tried to help. They'd had a few years of "playing the field," trying to date their way through the younger generation of LA, and that hadn't worked either. Andy couldn't fill the void; Sharon could fill the void, but for the last 10 years, she'd stayed married to Jack. Yes, that had still been the thorn in Sharon's side, and really, Andy felt like it was a thorn in his side. Jack. When he'd first met Jack, years ago he'd tried to play it off like the guy was a nice guy, but Andy knew. Over the years, as Jack had popped in and out of Sharon's life, Andy had watched him trash her, and it killed him that Sharon had allowed it. He'd watched Jack try to wheel and deal Sharon, but thankfully, while she may have been tempted for a day or so, Jack was usually gone after a few days. Last year, Jack's reappearance had Andy worried a bit. Jack had reappeared for a couple weeks, and he wasn't sure what Sharon was thinking. He couldn't ask; he wanted to ask, but it wasn't his place. He knew Sharon had let Jack stay at the condo. She'd mentioned it, as had Rusty, but he had been worried about WHERE Jack was staying. Thankfully, one afternoon, Rusty had mentioned something about having nowhere to watch tv in the condo because Jack had taken over the living room as his bedroom. That had helped; Andy had relaxed. He waited, knowing Jack would leave eventually. And, he had, but Andy could tell something was different this time. Just after Jack left, Sharon invited herself to Nicole's wedding, an invite Andy had wanted to offer himself, but he knew he couldn't cross that line. Oh, that had been a welcome relief to Andy, and it seemed to be a turning point with Sharon too. Jack had apparently screwed up for the last time, or so he'd hoped.

"Lieutenant, you okay?" Rusty asked. Andy turned to him and saw Rusty closing his books.

"Yeah, sure, fine, sorry," Andy shook his head. "Did you ask me something else?"

"Yeah, umm, while you are waiting for Sharon, do you want to play chess? I don't have to meet up with my friends for another hour," Rusty explained.

"Sure," Andy smiled. "Set it up." Rusty nodded, stood, and started to his bedroom. While Andy waited, he continued to sit in the orange chair and looked around the condo. He smiled and nodded at the sight of a newer picture he hadn't noticed. It was to the side of the television, and Andy stood to look at it better. He remembered both photos, as it was one of those divided pictures. The left side was an old one, one of Andy and Sharon from when Sharon was still only 18 or 19. They were dressed up, and he remembered it from New Year's that year. Sharon's parents weren't thrilled to hear they had a son-in-law, but they'd invited Sharon and Andy to the country club for the New Year's party. Neither Sharon nor Andy had been too excited about going, but they'd gone to mend fences with Sharon's parents. Sharon had bought a new dress for the party, and he smiled as he looked at her in the short, purple cocktail dress from decades earlier. They were so young, and they'd been happy. Ironically, the picture in the same frame was from just last summer when Nicole had gotten married. Yes, that had irritated Sandra, Andy's other ex-wife, to no end, that he'd brought Sharon to the wedding, but Andy had shrugged it off; he had been battling with Sandra for months about the wedding, and he ended up telling her that day that at least Sharon knew everyone. He hadn't brought a complete stranger, to which Sandra had gotten mad with that comment, firing back that she was well aware Sharon knew everyone. She'd felt like Sharon had been part of their marriage the entire time she and Andy had been married. It had been a heated argument for a few minutes, but in the end, Andy smiled and told Sandra that Sharon was there to stay. He'd meant it for the wedding and at the time, hoped for it for the future. This photograph made him smile even more, as he hadn't even realized that Sharon had once again worn a purple dress. The pictures were ironic; they held the same people, decades apart, and yet, looking at them, no one would know the heartache and sorrow between the photos. Andy knew. Sharon knew, and the heartache still wasn't over, at least not yet.

"She put up that frame a couple weeks ago," Rusty gestured to the picture Andy was holding. He turned to Rusty nodded as he continued to look at it.

"You used to be like young with like dark hair," Rusty rolled his eyes. "Weird to see you guys when you were young and now again here."

Andy shrugged again, "Life is strange, Rusty, and it's not easy to make every life story a happily ever after fairy tale."

"Yeah, I get that, believe me," Rusty sighed. "What is it with you two, though? I can't figure it out. Sharon, she's got Jack showing up when he wants, and then you two are these weird friends. Why didn't I get stuck living with some normal family?"

Andy frowned, as he moved his first chess piece, "First off, Sharon would agree with me, but her relationships, my relationships-they aren't up for discussion. Period. Second, I wouldn't complain about Sharon. You got a pretty good gig, here, Rusty, living with her."

"I just didn't realize that Sharon came with a Jack and a Flynn," he smirked. "One or both of you are always lurking."

"Funny guy," Andy smirked at Rusty as they continued to play. "Rusty, life is complicated. Just remember that."

The two turned toward the door when they heard Sharon's keys in it. Sharon looked to them, Rusty on the couch and Andy in the orange chair, and she smiled at them.

"Hello, you two. This is a surprise," she sighed as she dragged in more groceries than one person should carry. Andy and Rusty both stood quickly to help her with the food.

"Thank you," she nodded to them, as they took the bags from her. Rusty moved quickly into the kitchen where he started to unpack them.

"Sharon, we have company," he smirked as he made a face at Sharon, as if it wasn't obvious Andy was standing right there. "Although, Sharon, at what point is a person no longer classified as a visitor or company?"

"Really on a roll, Rusty," Andy sighed as he put the other bags on the counter. He turned back toward Sharon who was hanging up her purse.

"Oh, gosh," Sharon put her hand on her face, "did we make plans? I'm sorry, Andy. I completely forgot."

"No," Andy held up a hand as Sharon walked toward him. "No plans, at least we didn't make any. I stopped by just to talk, nothing crazy."

"Oh, good," Sharon put her hand on her heart. "I was worried something had slipped my mind."

"You just said you'd eat with the lieutenant, Sharon," Rusty grinned at Andy. The two often enjoyed messing with Sharon. "This morning, don't you remember that you told me you were making dinner for the lieutenant, and I said I would get out of your hair."

"That's right," Andy played along, shaking his head. "Dinner, you promised dinner."

Sharon squeezed Andy's arm as she walked by with a playful, yet irritated expression, "You are both rotten. I shouldn't cook anything for either of you."

"Thank goodness!" Rusty exclaimed, and Andy started to laugh. Sharon glared at both before she sighed and finished unloading the groceries.

"Watch it, young man," Sharon pointed a finger at him. "We've discussed your graduation coming up. I can make it very uncomfortable for you, a police escort, police detail at the ceremony, a big party after. You'd best not get on my bad side."

Andy chuckled, and Rusty turned to him, now horrified, "She'd do that, wouldn't she?"

"In a heartbeat," Andy nodded as he smiled. "Have you ever known her NOT to sneaky and serious about her sense of occasion?"

"Watch it, yourself, Andy," Sharon pointed at him. Andy raised his hands in selfless defeat, and then he winked at Sharon.

"Oh, Sharon, your mom called earlier," Rusty told her as he turned to Andy. "I guess it was right before the lieutenant got here, so now maybe an hour ago."

Andy groaned, as he shook his head. Rusty grinned, knowing how strained things were with that situation. "What did she say?" Sharon asked. "I swear I don't understand why she won't just call my cell phone."

"She said she'd call later, that you two had been playing phone tag. That's about it. We talked about school some. She asked if we were going to the ski cabin this winter."

"It's July," Andy frowned.

"Yeah, I told her the same, but you know," Rusty shrugged. "Old people. You two should get ready to start making odd comments like that. Old," he gestured to both.

"Rusty, are you trying to earn a big graduation party?" Sharon turned from the cabinet where she was putting food away and flashed a fake smile at Rusty.

"No," he held up a hand, "and on that note, I'm going to get out of here. I'm going to the movies. I'll be home later."

"By 11," Sharon called to him. "Be safe, Rusty."

"I will. Bye, Sharon. Bye, Lieutenant," he nodded to them. They heard the door close, and Sharon turned back to the counter, where Andy was leaning on the bar area.

"So," Sharon smiled at Andy as she walked toward the bar area where he was leaning on the counter, "I just saw you at work. Not that I'm not glad you stopped by, but what's up? You didn't mention anything earlier. Is this from the case? I know this case bothered you, and I hope that you are okay. Jane Doe's, especially teenage girls, are always hard."

"No," Andy offered a small smile and continued, "it's not the case. Yeah, that was a rough one, and I'm glad we closed it. I really appreciate the service we could have for her. No, this is about something else."

"Okay," Sharon nodded, waiting for Andy to finish.

"Provenza saw something that I want to discuss with you," he explained. Sharon got a confused look on her face, and Andy continued. "We're all well-aware Jack was summoned to your office, and yes, I'm somewhat thankful you sent me out with Sykes to talk to those idiots, even though I hate the idea of leaving you with Jack."

"Go on," Sharon nodded.

"Sharon, Provenza saw the papers on your desk during the case," Andy explained. He asked me about them, about us. He was shocked to hear I didn't know anything about them. Sharon, I wanted to talk to you about the divorce papers. Are you finally divorcing Jack?"


	22. Chapter 22

Sharon walked around the counter to where Andy was sitting. She met his gaze, locking her eyes with his, and she put her hands on top of his. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I am," she offered a small smile. "Could we maybe sit and talk about this?"

"Sure," he nodded, as he pulled his hands from hers and squeezed her hands before he stood from his seat at the counter. "Ladies first," he gestured to the couch.

Sharon led them to the couch, and she folded her leg under herself as she sat sideways on the couch. Andy looked around the room, almost as if he was trying to determine where to sit, when Sharon nodded to the empty space on the couch.

"I'm not going to bite," she teased.

"I just didn't know if you wanted space," he told her as he sat.

"Not from you," she smiled.

"Well, that itself is a turn of events," he sighed. "So?" he questioned.

"So," Sharon fumbled with her hands, and immediately Andy put his over hers. The two were very aware of each other's nervous habits.

"I would like to adopt Rusty," Sharon smiled as she looked to Andy.

"Oh?" he looked to her with surprise as he processed what she had said. "You would need Jack's go-ahead to proceed. You're still married." He nodded as he processed the statement.

"Precisely," she offered a small smile. "It is time that I remove Jack from my life, legally. Legal separation is not enough anymore."

"I see," Andy nodded as he looked down to their hands. His were still on hers, and he continued to look at them as the silence lingered." He couldn't place his emotions. He somewhat expected Sharon to have other reasons, but it was still a small shock to hear. On some level, even though he'd made her promise, he wished he had been the reason.

"Andy," Sharon finally broke the silence with her soft plea. She waited until gaze met hers. "You made me promise you all those years ago." Andy listened and processed what she was saying. He flashed a grin, knowing the promise to what she was eluding, and he smiled because he could tell by the tone of her voice, there was more to the Jack story than she had told him. Andy knew Sharon, and he knew she was good at being evasive and sneaky.

"I am surprised you remember," he smiled softly at her. He thought of the comment as he looked to her eyes. They were sparkling, showing an emotion he hadn't seen in a long time. He thought back to the promise he'd asked her to keep over 10 years ago. _"Just don't make Jack about me. Just don't make any decisions in your marriage about me. Promise me. Your marriage has to be about you and other circumstances, but they can't be about me. Promise."_

"Of course," she told him. "I am divorcing Jack because it is what I want to do. I want to move on, and I have plans for my future that don't include Jack. Jack has left me for the last time; I decided that when he was here last summer, but it has taken me more time than it should to move forward with my decision. I wanted to be sure. I am. I'm sure."

He listened as he nodded, "So, Rusty was the guy who could do it," he nodded. "Rusty was the guy who won over Jack."

"No," she smiled softly as she continued to speak. She noticed her thumb was running over Andy's knuckle, and she wasn't sure when she'd started doing that, but she also knew she didn't want to pull her hand away from him. "As you have said, I make my own choices. I may take too long to make them," she rolled her eyes, "but I guess some of that is wanting to be sure, wanting to make the right choices for once. I'm sure. Rusty's adoption is one component to my decision. It's the result of my decision, not the cause. Yes, I might allude to others it is the cause, but deep down, not even Rusty is the cause. My divorce to Jack is my decision. Jack abandoning me and trashing our life together is the cause. My refusal to deal with Jack any longer is the cause. I'm the cause; there are many effects. I'm going to proceed with things, allowing Jack, Rusty, and really everyone to think what they want. Jack and Rusty can think that Rusty's adoption is the cause. I know differently, and I want you to know the real cause too."

He nodded as he listened, "So, you're sure?"

"I should be after all this time," she chuckled. She nodded, "Yes, I'm sure."

Andy was silent as he stared at Sharon's hand running over his. He wasn't sure what to say, and as he looked to Sharon to study her, she spoke again.

"Aren't you going to ask?" she teased. Andy narrowed his eyes, as he studied her. "You, Andy, are another result. I listened to you, all those years ago. I have tried to separate things, to not make my divorce about you, to not compare you and Jack. You, Andy," she said again, "are a result."

"Meaning?"he asked, even though he knew the answer. He needed to hear it, just as much as he believed Sharon needed to say it.

"At the end of this," she gestured in the air with her free hand, "I hope to get what I want, once and for all. I want Rusty to have a home here, a family. I want Rusty in my life forever."

"Rusty is one lucky kid," he nodded to her.

"I'm the lucky one," she sighed. She stared at their now joined hands, and she looked up to him again. "I want more, though."

Andy offered a small smile to her as he continued to listen. He nodded, encouraging her to speak.

"I want you back in my life. These last few years, I am very happy we have rebuilt our friendship. I think it is stronger than it has ever been," she smiled.

"I feel the same, Sharon," he nodded.

"Good," she sighed. "I hope that we can revisit a conversation we had many years ago, that is if you still remember it?" she teased.

"We've had so many," he smiled. "Care to elaborate?"he teased right back at her.

"As I said, I have plans for my future; I want you back. I am not asking you to decide now. I realize Jack, the thorn in my side, is still in the picture until I can take care of that, but I would like you to know that I will be free of him, Andy. I know it is long overdue, and I hope that maybe for once, when that is all said and done, we can do this right for once?


	23. Chapter 23

Andy carefully listened to Sharon as she spoke. He realized he had a feeling of calmness, and as he looked down, he knew some of that was due to her thumb still running over his knuckle. "Sharon, as you know, I've tried to move on for years. Look where I am now," he gestured to her couch, his hand in hers.

Sharon smiled brightly, "We seem to have trouble fighting this attraction. It's almost like a magnetic pull. Even when we try to break free, we are drawn together."

Andy nodded, "Sharon, I need this to be the real deal. I don't think I can handle another let-down. We've come so far; we've made so much progress these last few years. Working together has been so good for us, something I never imagined would be true, but I think it's allowed us to build a solid friendship, a solid relationship as grown adults."

Sharon hummed as she nodded in agreement, "Do you remember all those years ago when you asked me if I regretted the past?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I do. Why?"

"I know I didn't give you a real answer. If I recall, I said both yes and no to that, and that wasn't fair. I want to assure you," she smiled softly as she shifted closer, "if I don't do this, I WILL regret things."

Andy moved his hand at his side, the one Sharon wasn't running her thumb over and moved it up to her hair. He ran it down her hair as he smiled softly to her as well. The moment was silent, and the emotions were running high. "All I've ever wanted is you back, Sharon. I was an idiot when we were younger, and it took me a few years to realize that. It took me a lot more too, the drinking caused a mess, and my rushed marriage to Sandra was another mess. You've said you don't regret things because it's led us here, and we both have our kids. I realize that, but I was an idiot before. I don't want to be an idiot again. When I walked away from you 10 years ago, I needed to get healthy again, and I don't mean there was something physically wrong with me. I knew you weren't ready to get rid of Jack, and it wasn't good for me to keep wanting you then, to keep just waiting. I, once again, had to walk away, but I still knew I loved you. I had to let you go to love you, or I knew I'd risk my sobriety and maybe even more. You needed to get healthy too, in a different way. You needed to expunge Jack from your life, almost like a cold. You needed to sweat it out, to figure out what you wanted and get him out of your system. These past couple years, I think we've been treading lightly to rebuild our friendship. I, for one, knew there could be more than a friendship, but you weren't ready. Honestly, I am not sure I was ready too. I had to be sure, just as you, that at some point you were going to ditch Jack. Now, you sound sure."

"I am," Sharon nodded in affirmation. "I gave Jack the papers, both the divorce papers and the adoption papers."

"Adoption?" Andy questioned as he pulled back to study Sharon. "Sharon, you are going to give him the option to adopt Rusty. Wait, that would keep him married to you!" Andy exclaimed as he pulled back to look at Sharon. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Andy," she said calmly as she touched his hand. She could feel the tension, just in the simple touch. "Yes, I put both options on the table for Jack, BUT," she held up her free hand when he was about to protest. "Please let me finish," she begged him. He sighed. "I put both options on the table because knowing Jack, if I had suggested one, he would have vetoed it immediately. Jack likes to think he has a choice. I know how to handle him. He doesn't have a choice, especially after he offered Rusty a job."

"Wait," Andy held up his finger, "that now makes sense. Rusty told me Jack offered him a job."

Sharon raised her eyebrows, "Rusty told you that?"

"He did," Andy nodded and continued, "while I was waiting for you to get home. I even commented that I suspected the job offer came with ulterior motives. So, you back Jack into a corner, and he fights back with the one thing he knows will get to you, Rusty."

Sharon hummed as she, too, processed the information, "Precisely. The nerve of Jack to offer Rusty a job. Andy, he is such a snake, and when I heard that, it confirmed my thoughts on divorcing him. I don't want you to think the adoption papers were an attempt to not rid myself of Jack. It was purely a tactic to play Jack, to get him to agree to a divorce without my having to serve him and start a very messy divorce."

"You don't think it will get messy?" he questioned as he raised his eyebrows.

Sharon stated to speak, and then she thought for a moment before she did continue, "I think it could get messy, but with this talk of adopting Rusty looming, Jack will back down. He threatened to sue for half my pension, and I fought back, explaining I would fight for back child support after he abandoned us. I don't think it will get that bad. For once, I think I'll be able to handle Jack and move this divorce along smoothly."

"What do you need from me, Sharon?" Andy asked after Sharon finished explaining her thought process.

Sharon bit her lip, "I need you. I just need you to be here for me, like this," she gestured. "We are not going to mess this up, Andy, not when we are so close to getting this right this time. We've been building on things for a couple years now. We've gotten to know each other again. We've spent time together with Nicole and her family, and you've jumped right in to help with Rusty time and time again. You've even spent time with Ricky and Emily, which I know isn't easy considering they live so far away. I just need you to keep doing this. You've once again made yourself a permanent fixture in my life, and I don't want that to ever change now."

Andy nodded as he sighed, "Sharon, I want to pretend like I'm so macho guy who doesn't need you. I want to pretend I can walk away again and just forget about you, but I can't. I just want you. I can't explain it more than that, but to say, that what drew us together so strongly when we were young is still there. I love the woman you have become. I love the strong, fiercely independent police captain you are every single day. I love the loving mother I knew you would be, even back then when you doubted having a family at all. That I saw; I knew you were caring and loving. I never saw you as a cut-throat police captain, but for the last few years, I have witnessed it first-hand, and I couldn't imagine you now in any other job. You fight for the victims, for justice, and for honor. I love that about you. You're loyal, almost to a fault, and I love that too. I almost wish I could yell and scream to tell you I've moved on, but I can't move on without you."

Sharon had tears in her eyes again, as she just nodded. Andy, who still had his hand in her hair, gestured to pull her closer, and she moved, wrapping her arms around him. He sighed when she pulled her into a strong embrace.

"I'm so sorry I have dragged you along for years, Andy. I did that to you, and you didn't deserve it. I have been the idiot," she let out a low laugh. "Provenza has been right about that. I have had you, a truly amazing man, waiting for me, and I almost wanted to pretend like I had something better. You have always been a better man than Jack. Yes, we both messed up when we ran to our spouses, but that has brought us here. I know we can't change the past, but we can shape our future together."

"So?" Andy whispered into her hair as he kissed her head.

"So, we deal with Jack. We," she pulled back to smile at Andy. "He's all over Rusty, trying to figure out why I'd divorce him now. He even asked Rusty if I was dating someone."

"And?" Andy raised his eyebrows in question.

She shrugged, "You and I aren't dating. I'm simply spending time with my ex-husband. You don't really date your ex-husband," she scrunched up her face in jest. Andy chuckled.

"I see," Andy continued to chuckle.

"We're reconnecting," Sharon smiled softly at him. "Starting over. You and I are reconnecting; we have been, and we'll continue to do so. Jack, on the other hand, we are cutting loose. The dirt bag needs to go."


	24. Chapter 24

"You ever think what our own kid would have been like?" Andy turned to her with a small smile. He was sitting at a stoplight, and he could tell he'd pulled Sharon out of her thoughts because she turned to him with a distracted look.

"Hmm, I'm sorry, what did you ask, Andy?" she smiled as she patted his hand. The light turned, and Andy continued driving. He asked again, "If we'd stayed together and had our own kids-have you ever wondered what that would have been like?"

Sharon nodded slightly as she sighed. She looked down at her new dress and picked a piece of lint off it. "I've wondered about that," she explained. "Besides stubbornness and a hot temper," she trailed off. Andy chuckled quietly as he pulled up to another light.

"I'd have wanted a girl with you, a beautiful girl who looked just like you, almost as Emily does," he told her.

She smiled softly as she gripped her hand over his, "Well, I can tell you we wouldn't have had five kids." Sharon enunciated the word 'five' as she spoke and flashed a small smile at Andy. "I don't want to trade any of the five in, now, do you? So, I should say it's not going to do us any good living in the past or the what might have been." I might have eventually been talked into having children with you, but there's no way I would have had five. I'm sort of partial to the five we have in our lives now," she smiled again.

Andy just nodded, "Point taken. Still," he shrugged. "I think of it."

"We tend to always think of how our dreams would have played out, how wonderful it might have been. What we fail to realize is that if we had stayed together and had our own kids, they might be very different people from what we imagine or what our kids actually are. You and I both know we would have argued, Andy. It wouldn't have been healthy, and we would have put the kids in the middle. You wouldn't have walked out; I wouldn't have walked out, and we would have made a disaster of a home life where the kids are concerned. Sometimes, those scars are worse than anything you can imagine. I can say at least with Jack, he just left. We honestly did very little arguing because he would just walk out."

"Yeah," Andy drew out a long sigh, "we would have been toxic to each other. Crazy how life works. We were 17 and 20. Look where we are today," he smiled as he turned into the parking lot.

Sharon nodded as she hummed, "Had the wheels not been set in motion years ago, I may not have married Jack and ended up here in LA. I was so desperate to go anywhere. Jack shared that dream, and it brought me here. Had I not gotten into law enforcement, I may not have any of my three kids. It was a case that made me realize I wanted kids, and it was later the job that brought Rusty into my life."

"And yet, that pesky police job of yours, Captain," he flashed a grin, "brought the two of us together again too. I don't think we would be here today if we hadn't been forced to get along at work where we saw each other often. Had we just run into each other at the boys' baseball game, we might have just been polite and gone our separate ways. Work sort of saved us," he shrugged. "It made us get along."

Sharon let out a laugh, "Some may disagree we got along a few years ago."

Andy turned off the car and turned to Sharon where he flashed a bright smile, "Oh, well, we learned how to play nice. We most definitely get along now." He leaned over, and Sharon met him halfway where he kissed her. She deepened it for a few moments before he pulled back to wink at her.

"Shall we," he nodded to the church.

She nodded, and the two stepped out of the car. Andy moved quickly to try to open Sharon's door, but she was too excited. "I can't believe he's finally graduating! He did it."

Andy took her hand in his as he nodded, "You both did it. He wasn't exactly thrilled to start school as I recall. I also remember he complained for days on end about attending a Catholic school."

Sharon chuckled as she shrugged, "True, but look at what he's done. I knew he had so much potential. He's worked hard, attended summer school each year, and today, he's finally graduating."

Andy nodded, "It was nice of the priest to offer to do a small graduation service. I know they don't always do that, but with five of them finishing, it was nice of him to suggest it."

"It was," Sharon smiled.

"Not that I don't doubt a certain sassy police captain wasn't persuasive or suggestive about such a ceremony," he winked to Sharon. "I do know you, my dear, remember that."

Sharon swatted at his arm as she gripped it even tighter. "Well, when I called to ask if there was going to be any graduation ceremony, I reminded them they are here to guide and support. Graduating high school is a big deal, and I also promised them that I would bring a detective with me next year to their career day. They have a very elaborate one for their high school students."

Andy raised his eyebrows at Sharon and was met with her mischievous grin, "You traded a career day presentation for your kid's graduation ceremony?" Andy laughed. "When you are complaining about going to that next school year, I'll remind you of this graduation ceremony."

"You can do more than remind me," Sharon flashed a flirty smile. "As I said, I promised the school I would come with one of my detectives. Congratulations, Lieutenant. You and I will be representing the LAPD for the school's career day. Who knows?" she shrugged. "We may convince someone to become a law enforcement officer."

Andy shook his head, "You're sneaky. So, in this presentation," he gestured with his free hand as they walked up the church steps, "should I tell them my whole story? I'm sure the school would love all of it, how I fell in love with a 17-year-old high school girl, married her, got divorced before she ever finished college, drank my way through a second marriage, am now back together with said 17-year old from my past who is now my boss, all while I was a cop?"

"Stop," Sharon turned and pressed her hand to his chest. She smiled up at him, "I want you to tell them about the amazing police officer you are, the risks you have taken, and the lives you have saved. That," she paused, "is still a few months away. Today, we have a teenager graduating."

Andy raised her hand that was still on his tie on his chest. He kissed her hand, winked at her, and he turned to open the door to the church. "We, huh?" he asked.

She shrugged again, "You've known him as long as I have, technically a day longer than I have." She smiled brightly at him as they entered another set of doors to the sanctuary. "He's only been in our lives three years, and he's thankfully not going anywhere. While he has a lot of worldly experience already, he still needs a lot of guidance and love. I'm hoping you're up to the task with me. He's not ours by blood, but I think we can definitely work together."

Andy smiled brightly as he squeezed her hand, "I knew you two were a package deal, and to clarify, I'm still waiting until that package officially doesn't include Jack. I'll keep waiting until he's been properly discarded."

"Where have you been, Flynn?" the two heard and jumped slightly. Sharon had taken hold of Andy's hand when they had entered the sanctuary, and she held it tighter when she felt Andy try to pull back. Provenza knew everything, and his eye roll at the sight of them laughing made them chuckle even more.

"Driving here. What do you think? Traffic this time of day is crazy," he sighed. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough," he snapped. He turned to Sharon, "Captain," he nodded and his gaze dropped to their joined hands. He shook his head and turned, "Idiots," he mumbled back to his seats. As he walked away, Sharon and Andy looked beyond him.

"Andy, did you know the whole team was coming?" she asked. The surprised look on her face was evident. She turned to Andy and saw him grinning.

"Provenza and I may have mentioned it a few times to the team. You did take off after lunch, so you know, Provenza and I had to explain where we were all going on a Friday afternoon. They also kinda put it together when you invited them to a graduation party at the condo later tonight."

Sharon smiled brightly at him as she shook her head, "I didn't think they would want to sit through this. I know it's silly, a small ceremony such as this. Rusty has told me over and over how silly it is, but it's important. He's accomplished so much." She squeezed his hand before she let go of it to walk up the aisle to greet the rest of the team. With only five students graduating, there weren't many people in the church. The priest had opted to do the ceremony there for the intimate setting and to add a few words from scripture to his blessing of the students. Andy walked alongside Sharon as they walked to the seats where the team was waiting.

"Of course, we came, Captain," Buzz smiled up at her. "For one, we had to make sure Rusty is really graduating. I needed to make sure my tutoring days are over."

Sharon smiled at him as she squeezed his shoulder. She greeted the rest of the team while Andy chatted with everyone. Provenza gestured from the pew in front of them. "Captain, I think you should sit here. You've done the most with young Rusty."

"Only if you join me, Lieutenant," Sharon smiled at him. "'You have done plenty yourself. Rusty trusts you, all of you," she looked to the group, "and as we know, that isn't something that comes easily to him."

Sharon moved toward the pew, and Andy watched her. She turned back, surprised he wasn't behind her and gestured for him to join her. He smiled and just nodded; they were walking a thin line with the rest of the team, but there was also a gray area between work and personal events. Sharon allowed Andy to move into their seats first so he was seated next to Provenza. She sat next to Andy, and they settled in for the ceremony.

Rusty had done it; he'd graduated. That was one huge hurdle he'd maneuvered. He'd overcome many obstacles to get here, and now that Sharon had gotten Rusty through school, she was determined to continue with her plans-divorcing Jack, adopting Rusty, and moving on with Andy. All three things needed to happen; they would happen, and she wasn't going to make a mess of her life again.


	25. Chapter 25

The party was going as well as she'd hoped, maybe even better since Chief Taylor had brought along their big celebrity from the case. Rusty was excited, which he hadn't been earlier in the day, so Sharon knew she'd made the right decision even despite his grumblings about having a party. The only person who had been irritated about the extra guests had been Andy; he had been walking around all evening complaining about "Badge of Justice." He'd only stopped when she had pulled him aside and told him that it was a pity he disliked the show so much because she always enjoyed watching it from her bedroom late at night. She'd told Andy that she was looking forward to that, relaxing in her room, when the new season started in January, but because Andy didn't like the show, she wouldn't be able to invite him over. He quickly changed his opinion, flashing a grin about his new "favorite" show as he winked at Sharon.

As Sharon looked around at the party, she smiled. There was a lot of warmth and love in the room. They were all a big family, and she realized that whatever crazy path she'd led in life, it had brought her right here to this moment.

"What are you smiling about now?" Andy said quietly as he walked up beside her. He had been talking to Amy and Mike on the balcony, but Sharon hadn't noticed he'd moved inside.

"I'm just happy the evening turned out so well. We wrapped up the case earlier, the whole team came to see Rusty graduate, and here we are this evening," she smiled warmly at Andy.

Andy grinned, "Seeing you in giddy mom mode is one of my favorite sides of your personality. I always knew you'd be an amazing mother."

"Thank you," she nodded. "I just didn't see it in myself, at least not for a very long time."

"Umm, hey guys," Julio called out from across the room. "Take a look at this," he grinned as he held up a framed photo.

"I forgot to move that!" Sharon exclaimed quietly to Andy as he groaned too.

"What is it, Julio?" Amy asked.

"A picture of the captain, and the lieutenant," he grinned. "Well, actually there are two pictures here."

"Old news," Buzz waved to him. Buzz turned toward Sharon and Andy where they were standing, and several sets of eyes followed him until they were all focused on the couple. "We all know they are 'friends,' as they say," Buzz nodded.

"Julio, that picture," Sharon nodded to him where he was standing by the television.

"Is a classic," Julio smiled as he finished Sharon's sentence. "I'm not talking about this recent one of them. There's another here from decades ago! "Rusty, what's the story," Julio nodded in Rusty's direction. He looked up from his conversation with Provenza.

"What, huh?" he asked. "I wasn't paying attention."

"This picture," Julio flashed. "The one, I get. It looks like they went to some formal affair. The other, now that's a keeper," Julio grinned.

"Let me see that," Provenza moved quickly across the room as Sharon buried her head in Andy's shoulder. She felt him put his arm around her back and squeeze her shoulder in support. A little affection now was the least of their problems.

Provenza snatched the picture from Julio, who was still grinning. The rest of the room waited, all throwing questioning glances to each other. "Hmm, idiots," he sighed as he shook his head and handed the phot back to Julio. He met Andy's gaze and shook his head again. "You used to have really dark hair," he chuckled. "Now, you're just old."

"What is the picture?" Amy asked. Julio passed it to her, as the rest of the room continued to wait.

"Guys, Chief Taylor and our famous guest will be mad they left early," he grinned. "Gossip king of the department wouldn't believe this unless he saw it. There's are very own captain with her favorite lieutenant from what, maybe 30 years ago? It's an old one," he gestured to the photo.

"30 years ago? You two knew each otherer that long ago?" Buzz inquired, the surprise evident on his face.

"Oh, you could say that," Rusty rolled his eyes as he joined the conversation. "I'd say they more than just knew each other."

"Rusty!" Sharon exclaimed.

"What, Sharon?" Rusty shrugged as he turned to her. "You're the one who left the picture out. If you didn't want people to see it, why frame the photos anyway? They are detectives," he gestured to the room. "I've never been able to get anything by them, and quite frankly, I'm surprised you've hidden your relationship this long."

"Oh, we all know they are dating," Amy smiled as she waved.

"We are not dating! I'm in the middle of a divorce!" Sharon exclaimed and then sighed when she realized she'd let that slip too.

"Ahh, Captain, finally sending Jack packing, are you? Good for you," Mike nodded. "I never saw it, Captain. You're way too nice of a person to be mixed up with Jack."

"Thank you, Mike," Sharon answered, and distracted by his kind words, she didn't even realize what she said next until it was too late. "I assure you that unlike my first divorce, I will not have second thoughts about this one."

"Sharon," Andy sighed as he rolled his eyes and looked to the ceiling.

"First divorce?" Buzz asked. Julio grinned.

"I think I know where this is going," Julio smiled.

"Oh, you idiots, the cat is out of the bag!" Provenza exclaimed. "Sykes," he gestured to her, "where's that photo."

"Were you two married?" Amy asked as she studied the photo. "Lieutenant, you have on a wedding ring, and you couldn't be more than 25 in this photo."

"Ahh, 21, to be exact," he nodded as he smiled at the photo. "Sharon was 18."

"Care to explain, Lieutenant?" Buzz asked.

"Yes, we were married," Sharon rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure whether to be impressed or worried we kept this from the most elite detectives in Los Angeles. Andy and I met when I was 17; he was 20. We got married in college," she shrugged.

"And divorced," Andy nodded. "Too young, not willing to compromise, and different plans for our lives," he shrugged and continued, "happens."

"So, wait," Buzz frowned, "then, now?" he gestured with his hand.

Sharon just shrugged, "We're friends. We've built a very healthy friendship after everything."

"Can I add to that?" Rusty grinned.

"NO!" Sharon and Andy said in unison, which caused the team to all chuckle and smile at each other.

"Tao, we never considered something like this in our betting pool," Julio looked to Mike, pointedly.

"I can't believe it," Amy shook her head. "Didn't see that at all."

"Life happens," Sharon nodded. "I'm sure you have questions, but the only answer I can provide is life has a funny way of working itself out. It might take twists and turns, but, somehow, we are placed right where we need to be."

"So, you two were college sweethearts, married in college?" Mike smiled at them as he pointed to the two of them.

"More like I was in high school," Sharon smiled to Andy. "We thought we were destined to be together forever."

"What we really didn't realize is that life would throw us a lot of curve balls and five kids. Here we are today," he gestured to the room. "Without our mistakes of the past, as Sharon has reminded me, we wouldn't be right here today. We wouldn't have five amazing kids between us, and we certainly wouldn't be throwing a graduation party for Rusty."

"Huh," Rusty nodded. "I guess I never thought of it like that. So, I should thank the two of you for being idiots, as the lieutenant has said, when you were young, for my life now?"

"Precisely," Sharon smiled, "although, I will remember the idiot comment when it is time to buy your Christmas gifts."

The team chuckled, and the room grew silent. There were many questions, but no one wanted to ask right now. They'd find the answers in time. Julio broke the silence.

"So, Jack is a goner?" he smiled brightly.

"Hmm, yes, soon," Sharon shared the smile. "I'm looking forward to my fresh start," she added, as she smiled at Andy.

* * *

 **We've reached the end! Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story. I appreciate your comments. Sorry to end this just as the cancellation news is hitting, but hopefully, I can come up with another idea. Until then, I'm still working on my other story where Rusty and Sharon are in witness protection.**


End file.
